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MAMMUTHUS AFRICANAVUS
(mam-mu-fus af-ree-can-a-vus)
Mammuthus africanavus
Named By: Camille Arambourg in 1952
Time Period: Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene
Location: Across North Africa
Size: Unavailable, though smaller than later mammoths
Diet: Herbivore
Fossil(s): Many specimens
Classification: | Chordata | Mammalia | Proboscidea | Elephantidae |
About

The African mammoth, Mammuthus africanavus (literally, "African ancestor mammoth"), is the second oldest of 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. 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.

Read more about Mammuthus africanavus at Wikipedia
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