Elephantimorpha

Elephantimorphs; Temporal range: Oligocene–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Skeleton of the mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis (Elephantoidea, Elephantidae)
	Skeleton of the "shovel tusker" Platybelodon (Amebelodontidae)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Suborder:	Elephantiformes
Clade:	Elephantimorpha; Tassy & Shoshani, 1997
Subgroups
	†Mammutidae; Elephantida †Eritreum; † Choerolophodontidae; † Amebelodontidae; † "Gomphotheriidae" (paraphyletic); Elephantoidea; ;

Elephantimorpha is a clade of proboscideans that contains the Mammutidae (mastodons), as well as Elephantida (amebelodonts, choerolophodonts, gomphotheres, stegodontids and elephantids). All members of this group have the horizontal tooth replacement typical of modern elephants, unlike more primitive members of the Elephantiformes.^[1] Like modern elephants, the ancestor of Elephantimorpha was likely capable of communicating via infrasonic calls.^[2] While early elephantimorphs generally had lower jaws with an elongated mandibular symphysis at the front of the jaw with well developed lower tusks/incisors, from the Late Miocene onwards, many groups convergently developed brevirostrine (shortened) lower jaws with vestigial or no lower tusks,^[3]^[4] probably corresponding with the elongation and increasingly dexterity of the trunk allowing it to be used as the primary feeding organ.^[4]

Taxonomy

Cladogram of Elephantiformes after Li et al. 2023, showing a paraphyletic Gomphotheriidae.^[4]

Elephantimorpha

Mammutidae (mastodons)

Elephantida

Eritreum

Gomphotherium annectens

Choerolophodontidae

Amebelodontidae (shovel tuskers)

	Archaeobelodon filholi

	Serbelodon barbourensis

Protanancus brevirostris

Protanancus wimani

	Eubelodon morrilli

	Megabelodon lulii

Protanancus macinnnesi

Protanancus chinjiensis

	Amebelodon fricki

	Torynobelodon britti

Platybelodon barnumbrowni

Platybelodon danovi

	Platybelodon grangeri

	Aphanobelodon zhaoi

"Gomphotheriidae"

Gomphotherium angustidens

	Gomphotherium steinheimense

	Elephantoidea ("tetralophodont gomphotheres", Elephantidae)

Gomphotherium sylvaticum

Gomphotherium inopinatum

	Gomphotherium browni

	Gomphotherium tassyi

	Gomphotherium productum + American gomphotheres

References

^ Sanders, William J. (2018-02-17). "Horizontal tooth displacement and premolar occurrence in elephants and other elephantiform proboscideans". Historical Biology. 30 (1–2): 137–156. Bibcode:2018HBio...30..137S. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1297436. ISSN 0891-2963.
^ Benoit, Julien; Lyras, George A.; Schmitt, Arnaud; Nxumalo, Mpilo; Tabuce, Rodolphe; Obada, Teodor; Mararsecul, Vladislav; Manger, Paul (2023), Dozo, María Teresa; Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Macrini, Thomas E.; Walsh, Stig (eds.), "Paleoneurology of the Proboscidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria): Insights from Their Brain Endocast and Labyrinth", Paleoneurology of Amniotes, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 579–644, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-13983-3_15, ISBN 978-3-031-13982-6, retrieved 2024-04-19
^ Mothé, Dimila; Ferretti, Marco P.; Avilla, Leonardo S. (12 January 2016). "The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha". PLOS ONE. 11 (1): e0147009. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1147009M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147009. PMC 4710528. PMID 26756209.
^ ^a ^b ^c Li, Chunxiao; Deng, Tao; Wang, Yang; Sun, Fajun; Wolff, Burt; Jiangzuo, Qigao; Ma, Jiao; Xing, Luda; Fu, Jiao (2023-11-28), "Longer mandible or nose? Co-evolution of feeding organs in early elephantiforms", eLife, 12, doi:10.7554/eLife.90908.1, retrieved 2024-05-29

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[1] Sanders, William J. (2018-02-17). "Horizontal tooth displacement and premolar occurrence in elephants and other elephantiform proboscideans". Historical Biology. 30 (1–2): 137–156. Bibcode:2018HBio...30..137S. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1297436. ISSN 0891-2963.

[2] Benoit, Julien; Lyras, George A.; Schmitt, Arnaud; Nxumalo, Mpilo; Tabuce, Rodolphe; Obada, Teodor; Mararsecul, Vladislav; Manger, Paul (2023), Dozo, María Teresa; Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Macrini, Thomas E.; Walsh, Stig (eds.), "Paleoneurology of the Proboscidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria): Insights from Their Brain Endocast and Labyrinth", Paleoneurology of Amniotes, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 579–644, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-13983-3_15, ISBN 978-3-031-13982-6, retrieved 2024-04-19

[3] Mothé, Dimila; Ferretti, Marco P.; Avilla, Leonardo S. (12 January 2016). "The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha". PLOS ONE. 11 (1): e0147009. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1147009M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147009. PMC 4710528. PMID 26756209.

[:6-4] Li, Chunxiao; Deng, Tao; Wang, Yang; Sun, Fajun; Wolff, Burt; Jiangzuo, Qigao; Ma, Jiao; Xing, Luda; Fu, Jiao (2023-11-28), "Longer mandible or nose? Co-evolution of feeding organs in early elephantiforms", eLife, 12, doi:10.7554/eLife.90908.1, retrieved 2024-05-29

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