The Proboscidea of the Past

[tigerluver]

To enter into the realm of a new group of giants, I invite you to Proboscidea with us.

Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans by Asier Larramendi is a groundbreaking publication is still in press, but has been released in its pre-official form. A few aspects are special about this work. One, the authors reconstruct an entire animal, rather than just mass. Two, the authors have used new methods based on volume to mass relationships rather than basic isometry, using equations as complex as those used to estimates masses of dinosaurs. Three, they provided visual comparisons, what better way to start this topic?

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Palaeoloxodon namadicus is the final major finding of this study, considering the proposal of its size. If accurate, a new king of mammals may have just been crowned.

My own interest in this order was piqued by the Javan specimens. More on that next. Until then, share as much you'd like! Reply