| Mammuthus africanavus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Family: | Elephantidae |
| Genus: | †Mammuthus |
| Species: | †M. africanavus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Mammuthus africanavus (Arambourg, 1952) | |
Mammuthus africanavus (literally, "African ancestor mammoth"), is the second oldest mammoth species, having first appeared around 3 million years ago during the late Pliocene, with a last appearance around 1.65 million years ago in the early Pleistocene.[1] Its fossils have been found in Chad, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. It was relatively small and is seen as the direct ancestor of M. meriodionalis, although its tusk diverged more widely from its skull than later species of mammoth, which might indicate that it was an evolutionary dead end.[2] The species is enigmatic as the type remains of the species, hailing from Lac Ichkeul in Tunisia, may not be conspecific with other remains assigned to the species. Additionally, the Lac Ichkeul material may contain remains of Elephas mixed in with mammoth fossils.[3]
References
- ↑ Couvering, John A. Van (2004-12-16). The Pleistocene Boundary and the Beginning of the Quaternary. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521617024.
- ↑ Lister, Adrian; Bahn, Paul (2007). Mammoths: giants of the ice age. Frances Lincoln. p. 23. ISBN 9780711228016.
- ↑ Markov, Georgi N. (25 October 2012). "Mammuthus rumanus, early mammoths, and migration out of Africa: Some interrelated problems". Quaternary International. 276–277: 23–26. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.05.041. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via Elsevier Science Direct.