More than 20 years ago, a team from the University of Jammu discovered the remains of a giant skull of an extinct elephant species in India’s Kashmir Valley. The body was excavated along with 87 basalt stone tools used by prehistoric humans. New analysis reveals that the skull belongs to a mysterious species called an “elephant”. Paleoloxodon. These tools also played an important role in helping paleontologists identify species. For more information on the survey results, please visit The study was published on October 11th. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
“The general shape of the skull makes it clear that this elephant is: Paleoloxodonor the straight-tusked elephant, is one of the largest land mammals to have ever lived,” said study co-author Stephen Chan, a paleontologist at the University of Helsinki in Finland. stated in a statement. “But what has puzzled experts for some time is that the Kashmiri skull lacks the thick, forward-protruding crest on the roof of the skull that is typical of other Paleoloxodon skulls found in India. It’s about being there.”
[Related: Humans likely wiped out Cyprus’ tiny hippos and elephants in record time.]
fully grown adult Paleoloxodon It was about 13 feet tall and weighs over 2,000 poundsAs such, they are slightly smaller than currently living elephant species. Paleoloxodon It first evolved in Africa about 1 million years ago, and early species had narrow, convex foreheads and underdeveloped cranial vaults. Later specimens have very wide and flat foreheads, often with a thick crown projecting forward from the roof of the skull.
Several years have passed since this skull was discovered. Paleoloxodon Elephants’ place on the evolutionary tree and whether the development of skull crests can distinguish them has been determined. controversial among paleontologists. some recent research I found out that Paleoloxodon The skull emblem became more prominent with development and sexual maturity. If scientists could examine an animal’s teeth and learn how old it was when it died, it would be possible to compare the skulls of individuals at similar levels of maturity.
“The size, wisdom teeth, and several other obvious features of the skull make it clear that this animal was a majestic bull-elephant in its heyday, but it lacks a well-developed calvarium, especially in comparison. “It’s clear that we have a different species here, along with other adult male skulls from Europe and India,” Zhang said.
the team behind new research I noticed how the features of the Kashmiri skull actually fit best with another obscure skull. this is Discovered in Turkmenistan and studied in the 1950s It was proposed to represent a separate species. Paleoloxodon Turkmenicus. Turkmen skulls do not have a coat of arms on the roof of the skull, a feature similar to well-known European species. Palaeoloxodon antique. According to the research team, this led many experts to suggest that the Turkmen specimen was an individual that diverged from a European species. Palaeoloxodon antique.
“However, the addition of the Kashmiri skull allows us to theorize that the two specimens represent a separate, previously little-known species with a wide distribution from central Asia to the northern Indian subcontinent. ” said study co-author Advait Jukhar, a paleontologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History. stated in a statement.
[Related: What prehistoric poop reveals about extinct giant animals.]
Looking more closely, the team Measurement of protein degradation in tooth enamel of kashmir Paleoloxodon skull. They also examined stone tools It was buried with the elephant’s remains. From the teeth and tools, they concluded that the Kashmir skull dates from the Middle Pleistocene period, approximately 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. This shows similarities in age with Turkmen skulls and supports the idea that both represent a distinct species from other Eurasians. Paleoloxodon. Although it is clear that these prehistoric humans used elephants in some way, there was no evidence that they hunted or butchered them.
According to the teamthe forehead is wide and flat, with only a few traces of the skull crest. P. Turkmenics It may represent a little-known missing link that fills an evolutionary gap in our understanding of how these prehistoric megaherbivores evolved.
