Deinotheriidae
Prehistoric family of mammals / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Deinotheriidae ("terrible beasts") is a family of prehistoric elephant-like proboscideans that lived during the Cenozoic era, first appearing in Africa, then spreading across southern Asia (Indo-Pakistan) and Europe. During that time, they changed very little, apart from growing much larger in size; by the late Miocene, they had become the largest land animals of their time. Their most distinctive features were their lack of upper tusks and downward-curving tusks on the lower jaw.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2015) |
Deinotheriidae | |
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Deinotherium | |
Life restoration of Deinotherium bozasi | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Suborder: | †Plesielephantiformes |
Family: | †Deinotheriidae Bonaparte, 1845 |
Type genus | |
†Deinotherium Kaup, 1829 | |
Genera | |
Subfamily †Chilgatheriinae Subfamily †Deinotheriinae |
Deinotheres were not very diverse; the only three known genera are Chilgatherium, Prodeinotherium, and Deinotherium. These form an evolutionary succession, with each new genus replacing the preceding one. Unlike the various mammoth and mastodont lineages, the deinotheres died out in the early Pleistocene, rather than continuing through the ice age.