Showing posts tagged gomphothere
Anancus Anancus (after an ancient Roman king); pronounced an-AN-cuss. Jungles of Eurasia. Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene (3-1.5 million years ago). About 10 ft tall and 1-2 tons. Herbivorous. Apart from two idiosyncratic features—its long, straight tusks and its relatively short legs—Anancus looked more like a modern elephant than any of its fellow prehistoric pachyderms. This Pleistocene mammal’s tusks were a whopping 13 feet long (almost as long as the rest of its body), and were probably used both to root up plants from the soft forest soil of Eurasia and to intimidate predators. Similarly, Anancus’ broad, flat feet (and short legs) were adapted to life in its jungle habitat, where a sure-footed touch was needed to navigate the thick undergrowth. (via: Dinoaurs.About.com)                 (illustration via The Fossil Museum) View high resolution

Anancus

Anancus (after an ancient Roman king); pronounced an-AN-cuss. Jungles of Eurasia. Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene (3-1.5 million years ago). About 10 ft tall and 1-2 tons. Herbivorous.

Apart from two idiosyncratic features—its long, straight tusks and its relatively short legs—Anancus looked more like a modern elephant than any of its fellow prehistoric pachyderms. This Pleistocene mammal’s tusks were a whopping 13 feet long (almost as long as the rest of its body), and were probably used both to root up plants from the soft forest soil of Eurasia and to intimidate predators. Similarly, Anancus’ broad, flat feet (and short legs) were adapted to life in its jungle habitat, where a sure-footed touch was needed to navigate the thick undergrowth.

(via: Dinoaurs.About.com)                 (illustration via The Fossil Museum)

Un Sitio de La Península Ibérica Prehistorica Poco después de que llegasen a Europa los elefantes primitivos -hace aproximadamente 2,6-2,7 millones de años- se extinguió Anancus arvernensis, mastodonte que reemplazó a Tetralophodon en el Mioceno tardío y se ha encontrado en 20 localidades. Zygolophodon turicensis es junto con los gonfoterios de los primeros mastodontes en llegar a Europa aunque no fue tan abundante, probablemente porque el clima era demasiado árido para ellos. La especie más reciente es Mammut borsoni que evolucionó a partir de Zygolophodon turicensis; no se sabe con exactitud cuándo y dónde ocurrió este proceso, aunque se cree que tuvo lugar en el hemisferio norte… (leer mas: El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales) (pintura de Mauricio Anton) View high resolution

Un Sitio de La Península Ibérica Prehistorica

Poco después de que llegasen a Europa los elefantes primitivos -hace aproximadamente 2,6-2,7 millones de años- se extinguió Anancus arvernensis, mastodonte que reemplazó a Tetralophodon en el Mioceno tardío y se ha encontrado en 20 localidades. Zygolophodon turicensis es junto con los gonfoterios de los primeros mastodontes en llegar a Europa aunque no fue tan abundante, probablemente porque el clima era demasiado árido para ellos. La especie más reciente es Mammut borsoni que evolucionó a partir de Zygolophodon turicensis; no se sabe con exactitud cuándo y dónde ocurrió este proceso, aunque se cree que tuvo lugar en el hemisferio norte…

(leer mas: El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales)

(pintura de Mauricio Anton)

geozoic:  Anancus  by Mauricio Anton Anancus is an extinct genus of gomphothere endemic to Africa, Europe, and Asia, that lived during the Turolian age of the late Miocene until the genus’ extinction during the early Pleistocene, roughly from 3—1.5 million years ago. Anancus stood around 3 m (9.8 ft) tall, with a weight up to 5-6 tons, and closely resembled a modern elephant. It had two tusks, whereas most other gomphotheres had four. Aside from its somewhat shorter legs, Anancus was also different from modern elephants in that its tusks were much longer, up to 4 m (13 ft) in length… (read more: Wikipedia) View high resolution

geozoic:  Anancus  by Mauricio Anton

Anancus is an extinct genus of gomphothere endemic to Africa, Europe, and Asia, that lived during the Turolian age of the late Miocene until the genus’ extinction during the early Pleistocene, roughly from 3—1.5 million years ago. Anancus stood around 3 m (9.8 ft) tall, with a weight up to 5-6 tons, and closely resembled a modern elephant. It had two tusks, whereas most other gomphotheres had four. Aside from its somewhat shorter legs, Anancus was also different from modern elephants in that its tusks were much longer, up to 4 m (13 ft) in length…

(read more: Wikipedia)

(Reblogged from scientificillustration)
lostbeasts: Anancus.A Pleistocene gomphothere from Eurasia and Africa. It had two tusks instead of the four that gomphotheres usually had. Its two tusks were far larger in proportion to their bodies than modern elephants- being up to 13 metres in length. View high resolution

lostbeasts:

Anancus.

A Pleistocene gomphothere from Eurasia and Africa. It had two tusks instead of the four that gomphotheres usually had. Its two tusks were far larger in proportion to their bodies than modern elephants- being up to 13 metres in length.

(Reblogged from lostbeasts)
Amebelodon  … a member of a diverse group of primitive proboscideans called gomphotheres, a group that also gave rise to the modern elephants and their close relative the mammoth. The most striking attribute of this animal is its lower tusks, which are narrow, elongated,and distinctly flattened with the degree of flattening varying among the different species. Amebelodon first appeared in the Great Plains and Gulf Coast regions of North America during the late Miocene, roughly between 9 and 8 million years ago, and apparently became extinct on this continent sometime around 6 million years ago. It managed to migrate to Asia via the Bering land bridge where it has been found in a number of late Miocene sites, particularly in China. The youngest record of Amebelodon is from a 5 million year old site in North Africa... (read more: Wikipedia) (image: Restoration on a mural made for the US government-owned Smithsonian Museum) View high resolution

Amebelodon 

… a member of a diverse group of primitive proboscideans called gomphotheres, a group that also gave rise to the modern elephants and their close relative the mammoth. The most striking attribute of this animal is its lower tusks, which are narrow, elongated,and distinctly flattened with the degree of flattening varying among the different species. Amebelodon first appeared in the Great Plains and Gulf Coast regions of North America during the late Miocene, roughly between 9 and 8 million years ago, and apparently became extinct on this continent sometime around 6 million years ago. It managed to migrate to Asia via the Bering land bridge where it has been found in a number of late Miocene sites, particularly in China. The youngest record of Amebelodon is from a 5 million year old site in North Africa...

(read more: Wikipedia)

(image: Restoration on a mural made for the US government-owned Smithsonian Museum)

Gomphotherium (1901) by Charles R. Knight  - for the American Museum Natural History I want you to remember that there have been, and will be, more things in existence than you can even begin to imagine. Every day its something new. The sheer weight and volume of everything you will never know is truly amazing. View high resolution

Gomphotherium (1901) by Charles R. Knight 

- for the American Museum Natural History

I want you to remember that there have been, and will be, more things in existence than you can even begin to imagine. Every day its something new. The sheer weight and volume of everything you will never know is truly amazing.

lostbeasts:calmandcurious: Platybelodon (art by tully) View high resolution

lostbeasts:calmandcurious: Platybelodon (art by tully)

(Reblogged from lostbeasts)
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: The Ghosts of Evolution:  Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms by Connie Barlow There has been a bit of a revolution in the way that paleontologists and ecologists think about the historical landscape of North America from the Ice Age to now. Basically, many ecologists haven’t really looked at NA with a critical eye towards how the megafauna of the past helped to form wide ranging ecological systems and relationships, which still exist as remnants today. These remnants are large seeded fruits across the Americas that have no animals today who are capable of dispersing the seeds. that’s because the animals these plants evolved with, have gone extinct. Connie Barlow’s book is really the most readable and thorough popular resource for describing how the lonely avocado came to be as it is today, and what ancient extinct elephants had to do with it. We live in a world, in part, formed by huge creatures who no longer roam the earth. This book does a wonderful job of elucidating their legacy in the Americas. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, whether you have an interest in general ecology, botany, paleontology, pleistocene mega-mammals, or avocados. Here’s some notes from the publishers… A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of “missing partners” in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas… (see the book here)

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Ghosts of Evolution:  Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms by Connie Barlow

There has been a bit of a revolution in the way that paleontologists and ecologists think about the historical landscape of North America from the Ice Age to now. Basically, many ecologists haven’t really looked at NA with a critical eye towards how the megafauna of the past helped to form wide ranging ecological systems and relationships, which still exist as remnants today. These remnants are large seeded fruits across the Americas that have no animals today who are capable of dispersing the seeds. that’s because the animals these plants evolved with, have gone extinct.

Connie Barlow’s book is really the most readable and thorough popular resource for describing how the lonely avocado came to be as it is today, and what ancient extinct elephants had to do with it. We live in a world, in part, formed by huge creatures who no longer roam the earth. This book does a wonderful job of elucidating their legacy in the Americas. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, whether you have an interest in general ecology, botany, paleontology, pleistocene mega-mammals, or avocados. Here’s some notes from the publishers…

A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of “missing partners” in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas…

(see the book here)

The Osage Orange Tree, Maclura pomifera. another tree with a large, large seeded fruit that was dispersed by Pleistocene Megafauna, like Gomphotheres and Giant Ground Sloths.  This tree is currently found in east Texas, SE Oklahoma, and western Arkansas in the United States. It has been historically propagated by humans in North America for its wood (which was commonly used to make bows), and for use as a hedge row tree by ranchers and farmers. (photo: Bruce Marlin) View high resolution

The Osage Orange Tree, Maclura pomifera. another tree with a large, large seeded fruit that was dispersed by Pleistocene Megafauna, like Gomphotheres and Giant Ground Sloths.  This tree is currently found in east Texas, SE Oklahoma, and western Arkansas in the United States. It has been historically propagated by humans in North America for its wood (which was commonly used to make bows), and for use as a hedge row tree by ranchers and farmers.

(photo: Bruce Marlin)

The Gomphotheres and the Avocado Most plants bear fruit so that animals can eat them and then disperse their seeds. Avocados, and a few other fruits, are too large (or rather have seeds too large) to be eaten and be dispersed by any animals that are extant (currently in existence). These large seeded fruits, that are found throughout the Americas, evolved along with the large mammals of the Pleistocene epoch (the “Pleistocene Megafauna”), like Gomphotheres, other proboscideans, and Giant Ground Sloths. These animals went extinct around 10,000 years ago, and the Avocados lost their chief dispersers. Many plants went extinct along with the megafauna, but some, like avocados, found new dispersers (like humans and slightly smaller mammals). The geographic range of many of the fruits that survived decreased greatly, but they managed to hold on. (image: Ambelodon, a Gomphothere proboscidean, by Sam Matternes, 1964) View high resolution

The Gomphotheres and the Avocado

Most plants bear fruit so that animals can eat them and then disperse their seeds. Avocados, and a few other fruits, are too large (or rather have seeds too large) to be eaten and be dispersed by any animals that are extant (currently in existence). These large seeded fruits, that are found throughout the Americas, evolved along with the large mammals of the Pleistocene epoch (the “Pleistocene Megafauna”), like Gomphotheres, other proboscideans, and Giant Ground Sloths. These animals went extinct around 10,000 years ago, and the Avocados lost their chief dispersers. Many plants went extinct along with the megafauna, but some, like avocados, found new dispersers (like humans and slightly smaller mammals). The geographic range of many of the fruits that survived decreased greatly, but they managed to hold on.

(image: Ambelodon, a Gomphothere proboscidean, by Sam Matternes, 1964)