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Elephas (elephant)

Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1758Elephas Linnaeus p. 33
1795Elephantus Geoffroy and Cuvier p. 189
1825Elephas Gray p. 342
1829Mastodon elephantoides Clift
1848Elephas Owen p. 139
1860Elephas Leidy p. 108
1860Elephas Nordmann p. 271
1873Elephas Leidy p. 329
1880Elephas Lydekker
1902Elephas Hay p. 712
1924Palaeoloxodon Matsumoto p. 257
1924Pilgrimia Osborn p. 2
1924Sivalikia Osborn p. 2
1927Leithadamsia Matsumoto p. 214
1929Loxodonta (Palaeoloxodon) Matsumoto p. 1
1931Hesperoloxodon Osborn p. 21
1942Hypselephas Osborn p. 1340
1942Platelephas Osborn p. 1358
1950Stegoloxodon Kretzoi p. 405
1955Omoloxodon Deraniyagala p. 25
1970Elephas Maglio p. 12
1973Elephas Maglio
1981Elephas Thurmond and Jones p. 181
1988Elephas Carroll
1995Elephas Capasso Barbato and Gliozzi p. 244
1995Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) Capasso Barbato and Gliozzi p. 244
1995Elephas Kalb and Frohelich p. 732 figs. Figure 2
1996Elephas Shoshani and Tassy p. 352
1997Elephas McKenna and Bell p. 504
1999Elephas Barriel et al.
2001Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) Palombo p. 487
2005Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) Palombo p. 107
2005Elephas Shoshani and Tassy p. 10 figs. Table 2
2005Palaeoloxodon Shoshani and Tassy p. 10 figs. Table 2
2005Elephas Wilson and Reeder
2006Elephas Rogaev et al.
2007Elephas Christiansen p. 428
2010Elephas Rohland et al. p. 6

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Life
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
subclassSynapsida
Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
RankNameAuthor
Mammaliamorpha
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
AfrotheriaStanhope et al. 1998
Tethytheria
orderProboscidea()
suborderElephantiformesTassy 1988
superfamilyElephantoidea
familyElephantidae
subfamilyElephantinaeGray 1821
tribeElephantiniGray 1821
genusElephas

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. Elephas Linnaeus 1758 [elephant]
show all | hide all
Subg. †Elephas (Euelephas) Leidy 1858
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Elephas (Euelephas) hysudricus Falconer and Cautley 1875
Subg. Elephas (Loxodon) Müller and Henle 1838
Elephas beyeri von Koenigswald 1956
Elephas clifti Falconer 1857
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Invalid names: Stegodon sinensis Owen 1870 [synonym]
Elephas ekorensis Maglio 1970
Elephas falconeri Busk 1867
Elephas maximus Linnaeus 1758 [Asian elephant]
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Invalid names: Elephas asiaticus Blumenbach 1797 [synonym], Elephas gigas Perry 1811 [synonym]
Elephas melitensis Falconer 1868
Elephas moghrebiensis Arambourg 1970
Elephas nawataensis Tassy 2003
Elephas planifrons Falconer and Cautley 1846
Elephas priscus Goldfuss 1821
Invalid names: Elephantus Geoffroy and Cuvier 1795 [objective synonym], Hesperoloxodon Osborn 1931 [synonym], Hypselephas Osborn 1942 [synonym], Leithadamsia Matsumoto 1927 [synonym], Mastodon elephantoides Clift 1829 [nomen dubium], Omoloxodon Deraniyagala 1955 [synonym], Palaeoloxodon Matsumoto 1924 [synonym], Pilgrimia Osborn 1924 [synonym], Platelephas Osborn 1942 [synonym], Sivalikia Osborn 1924 [synonym], Stegoloxodon Kretzoi 1950 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Body mass estimates
estimateequationreference
 3.99 tons Mammalia femur circumferenceAnderson et al. 1985
Measurements
partNmean
femur circumference1304.8

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: Nowak 1991, Lillegraven 1979, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Ji et al. 2002

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 (443 total)

Oldest occurrences

Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Neogene23.03 - 2.588Taiwan Elephas sp. (76865) Stegodon sinensis (76863)
Neogene23.03 - 2.588Taiwan (Taichung) Stegodon sinensis (76862)
Neogene23.03 - 2.588Myanmar Mastodon elephantoides, Elephas clifti (215569)
Neogene23.03 - 2.588Taiwan (Tainan) Elephas sp. (76866)
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima) Elephas sp. (144187)
Baodean11.1 - 4.9China (Yunnan) Elephas sp. (183982)
Messinian - Zanclean7.246 - 3.6Kenya Elephas nawataensis (22242)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Ethiopia Elephas recki (22135)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Kenya Elephas ekorensis (232486)
Early/Lower Pliocene5.333 - 3.6Tanzania Elephas ekorensis (22046)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Kenya (Turkana District) Elephas ekorensis (21335 21336)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Ethiopia Elephas recki (21737 22132 22137 22174 22176) Elephas sp. (22133)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Kenya Elephas ekorensis (22234) Elephas sp. (22338)
Ruscinian5.333 - 3.2China (Shanxi) Elephas sp. (42477)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Ethiopia (Afar) Elephas recki (70907)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Malawi Elephas recki (22559)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Italy Elephas planifrons (96770)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Ethiopia Archidiskodon indet. (21754 21755) Elephas ekorensis (21753) Elephas recki (21616)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Kenya Elephas recki (22321)
Zanclean - Piacenzian5.333 - 2.588Kenya Elephas ekorensis (22235)