Thestraight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) is an extinct species of elephant. It lived inEurope andWestern Asia during the Middle and LatePleistocene (781,000–30,000 years ago).
Individuals reached up to 4–4.2 metres (13.1–13.8 ft) in height, with a weight estimated at 11.3–15 tonnes (11.1–14.8 long tons; 12.5–16.5 short tons).
The straight-tusked elephant probably lived in small herds, flourishing ininterglacial periods, when its range went as far north asGreat Britain. Skeletons found in association with stone tools and wooden spears suggest they were scavenged and hunted by early humans, includingNeanderthals. It is the ancestral species of mostdwarf elephants that lived on islands in theMediterranean.