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Loxodonta (African elephant)

Osteichthyes - Proboscidea - Elephantidae

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1827Loxodonta Anonymous p. 140
1970Loxodonta Maglio p. 12
1973Loxodonta Maglio
1988Loxodonta Carroll
1995Loxodonta Kalb and Frohelich p. 732 figs. Figure 2
1996Loxodonta Shoshani and Tassy p. 352
1997Loxodonta McKenna and Bell p. 504
1999Loxodonta Barriel et al.
2005Loxodonta Shoshani and Tassy p. 10 figs. Table 2
2005Loxodonta Wilson and Reeder
2006Loxodonta Rogaev et al.
2007Loxodonta Christiansen p. 428
2007Loxodonta Sanders p. 7
2010Loxodonta Rohland et al. p. 6

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
superorderAfrotheria
—Paenungulatomorpha
superorderPaenungulata
—Tethytheria
orderProboscidea()
suborderElephantiformesTassy 1988
—ElephantimorphaTassy and Shoshani 1997
—ElephantidaTassy and Shoshani 1997
superfamilyElephantoidea
familyElephantidae
subfamilyElephantinaeGray 1821
tribeLoxodontiniOsborn 1918
genusLoxodonta

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Loxodonta Anonymous 1827 [African elephant]
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†Loxodonta adaurora Maglio 1970
Loxodonta africana Blumenbach 1797 [African bush elephant]
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Invalid names: Elephas africanus oxyotis Matschie 1900 [synonym], Elephas capensis Cuvier 1798 [synonym]
†Loxodonta atlantica Pomel 1879
†Loxodonta cookei Sanders 2007
Loxodonta cyclotis Matschie 1900 [African forest elephant]
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Invalid names: Elephas africanus cottoni Lydekker 1908 [synonym], Elephas africanus fransseni Schouteden 1914 [synonym], Elephas africanus pumilio Noack 1906 [synonym]
†Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941
Invalid names: Elephas africanus albertensis Lydekker 1907 [synonym], Elephas africanus knochenhaueri Matschie 1900 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Body mass estimates
estimateequationreference
 2.45 tons Mammalia femur diameterGingerich 1990
 1.61 tons Mammalia humerus diameterGingerich 1990
 1.93 tons Mammalia tibia diameterGingerich 1990
mean: 1.97 tons
Measurements
partNmean
femur diameter186.7
humerus diameter184.0
radius diameter162.0
tibia diameter179.1

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: grazerf
Diet 2: browserf
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-08-22 20:09:03
Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1991, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988, Lillegraven 1979

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Messinian to the top of the Holocene or 7.24600 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 5.333 Ma

Collections (142 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Miocene - Pliocene23.04 - 2.58South Africa Loxodonta sp. (22220)
Miocene - Pliocene23.04 - 2.58Uganda Loxodonta sp. (22393 22394 22395 22408 22428 22433)
Late/Upper Miocene11.63 - 5.333South Africa (Namaqualand) Loxodonta sp. (51189)
Late/Upper Miocene - Early/Lower Pliocene11.63 - 3.6Uganda Loxodonta sp. (22345 22423 22456)
Messinian7.246 - 5.333Kenya Loxodonta sp. (22274)
Messinian7.246 - 5.333Chad Loxodonta sp. (59839)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Kenya Loxodonta adaurora (232486)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Tanzania Loxodonta exoptata (22043 22044 22045 22051)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Ethiopia Loxodonta adaurora (22171)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Kenya (Turkana District) Loxodonta adaurora (21335 21336)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Kenya Loxodonta adaurora, Loxodonta exoptata (22234)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Ethiopia Loxodonta adaurora (21737 22132 22160 22176)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Malawi Loxodonta adaurora (22559) Loxodonta exoptata (22328)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Tanzania (Eastern Drift Valley) Loxodonta exoptata (32050)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Uganda Loxodonta exoptata (22255) Loxodonta sp., Loxodonta exoptata (22265)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Kenya Loxodonta adaurora (22321)
Zanclean - Piacenzian5.333 - 2.58Tanzania Loxodonta exoptata (21830)
Zanclean - Piacenzian5.333 - 2.58Kenya Loxodonta adaurora (21434 21439) Loxodonta exoptata (22235)
Zanclean - Pliocene5.333 - 2.58Kenya Loxodonta adaurora, Loxodonta exoptata (22267)
Pliocene - Pleistocene5.333 - 0.0117Malawi Loxodonta adaurora (22323 22324) Loxodonta exoptata (22325)
Zanclean - Pleistocene5.333 - 0.0117Ethiopia Loxodonta exoptata (22197)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.58South Africa (Langebaanweg) Loxodonta cookei (21713)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Kenya Loxodonta exoptata (21424 21425 21430 21535)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Tanzania Loxodonta exoptata (21787 21788 21789 21790 21792 21793 21795 21796 21798 21799 21800 21801 21802 21807 21810 21811 21831 21832)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Kenya (Rift Valley) Loxodonta adaurora (21307)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Chad Loxodonta exoptata (21962 22505 22506)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Kenya (Turkana District) Loxodonta adaurora (21334)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Ethiopia Loxodonta adaurora (21756 21757 21758 21768 21781 21783) Loxodonta adaurora, Loxodonta exoptata (21637 21767 21785) Loxodonta exoptata (21770)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene3.6 - 0.774Kenya (Rift Valley) Loxodonta sp. (21292)
Piacenzian - Pleistocene3.6 - 0.0117Kenya Loxodonta adaurora (22238)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8Kenya Loxodonta adaurora (21398 21503 21504) Loxodonta exoptata (21517)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8Kenya (Rift Valley) Loxodonta adaurora (21282) Loxodonta adaurora, Loxodonta exoptata (21283)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8Ethiopia Loxodonta adaurora (22000) Loxodonta atlantica (21560 21738 21997)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8Tanzania Loxodonta exoptata (21804 21805 21815)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Morocco Loxodonta atlantica (34286)
Gelasian - Calabrian2.58 - 0.774Ethiopia (Ethiopian Rift) Loxodonta sp. (22491 22492)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117Morocco Loxodonta atlantica (22489 34332)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117South Africa Loxodonta africana (21695 21916 21929 21953 21954)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117Djibouti Loxodonta sp. (22486)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0Libya Loxodonta africana (21884)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0Congo-Kinshasa Loxodonta africana (22074 22103)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0Tanzania Loxodonta africana (22191)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0Zambia Loxodonta sp. (21854)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0South Africa Loxodonta africana (21948 21949 21950 21951 21952) Loxodonta zulu (21711)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Algeria Loxodonta atlantica (22584)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129South Africa (Namaqualand) Loxodonta sp. (51188)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Tanzania Loxodonta africana (21893)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Kenya Loxodonta sp. (22276)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117South Africa Loxodonta africana (115167)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117South Africa Loxodonta africana (21709)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Rwanda Loxodonta sp. (129899)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Zimbabwe Elephas africanus (239566)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Tanzania (Lindi) Elephas africanus (238203)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Mali Elephas africanus (239570)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Egypt Loxodonta africana (21878)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Tanzania Loxodonta africana (21690)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Cameroon Loxodonta cyclotis (238070)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Somalia Elephas africanus (239569)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa Loxodonta africana (21930)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Cote D'Ivoire Loxodonta africana (21692)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Kenya Elephas africanus (239567 239568) Loxodonta africana (21934 21936)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa (Western Cape) Elephas africanus (239565)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Sudan Elephas africanus (238204) Loxodonta africana (21871 21904 208786 208787)