| Eritreum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Genus: | †Eritreum Shoshani et al., 2006[1] |
| Species: | †E. melakeghebrekristosi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi Shoshani et al., 2006[1] | |
Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi is an extinct species ofproboscidean mammal, which lived inNortheast Africa during the lateOligocene some 27 million years ago, and is considered to be the missing link between modern elephants and their ancestors. Thefossils of this species are the oldest known fossils featuring the horizontal tooth displacement seen in modern elephants. The species is estimated to have weighed 484 kg (1,067 lb) and stood about 1.3 m (4.3 ft) at the shoulder, much smaller than modern species.
The generic nameEritreum comes fromEritrea, the country in theHorn of Africa where the specimen was discovered. The specific namemelakeghebrekristosi honors Melake Ghebrekristos, the farmer who found the specimen.
Genera of the orderProboscidea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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