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PALAEOMASTODON
(pay-lay-o-mas-toe-don)
meaning: "Ancient mastodon"
Palaeomastodon
Named By: Andrews in 1901
Time Period: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene
Location: Egypt, Ethiopia & Saudi Arabia
Size: Uncertain
Diet: Herbivore
Fossil(s): Several individuals
Classification: | Chordata | Mammalia | Eutheria | Afrotheria | Proboscidea |
About

Palaeomastodon an extinct genus of Proboscidea. Palaeomastodon fossils have been found in Africa, lived some 36-35 million years ago. They are believed to be the ancestors of elephants or mastodons.

Palaeomastodon had tusks, both upper and lower, and it had a trunk. It was about 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) tall at the shoulder and weighed about 2.5 tonnes (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons). The lower tusks were flat rather than pointed cones, and were probably used to scoop plants from swampy water.

Read more about Palaeomastodon at Wikipedia
PaleoCodex is a weekend hack by Saurav Mohapatra