This document summarizes the evolution of elephants from early ancestors like Moeritherium through to modern species. Key developments include the emergence of a trunk or proboscis, modification of teeth into grinding molars and sharp tusks, and an increase in size and more specialized features for browsing and grazing. Major ancestral species discussed include Palaeomastodon, Dinotherium, and Mastodon, while modern elephants are represented by the mammoth, African bush elephant, and forest elephant.

1. Evolution of Elephant

2. Characteristics
 Order: proboscidea
 Long trunk, proboscis
 2 genere exist
 Elephas , Loxodonta
 Sea cows and manatees relatives
 Huge body 10-13 feet tall
 6-7 ton weight
 Pillar like legs, cushionary feetb5 toes, plantigrade
 Skull large, air cavities: dipole
 Neck short

3.  Long nose and upper lip
 Pharyngeal pouche store water
 Lophodont dentition
 Griding food
 Incisor 2nd pair modified in tusk 9 feet, 200 pound
male large
 Molar don’t grow same time
 Stomach simple
 Liver bilobed, no gall bladder
 Brain small

4. Changes
 Ancestor: no proboscis, no tusk, small pig like
 Adapted for browsing, grazing on land
 Height 10-13 feet, weight 6-7 tons
 Large size protection from predator
 No natural predator now
 Rectigrade locomotion, pillar like leg
 Cushioned feet
 Dipole in skull
 Neck short support skull
 Upper lip, nose in proboscis

5.  Abrasive diet
 Teeth lophodont with silica deposited in depressions
 Covered by belt system
 2nd incisor in tusk
 Infrasonic communication
 Water storage in pouches
 Mosaic evolution in development

6. Ancestors

7. Moeritherium
 From eocene Epoch
 Heavy animal
 Size of pig, tapir, 3 feet tall
 No proboscis
 Snout long
 Incisor large
 Legs broad feet
 Diastema
 Molar low crowned

9. Phiomia
 Oligocene deposits neat Egyptian lake Moeris
 Shivalik Hills fossil in India
 Twice size of Moertherium
 Skull large dipole
 Jaws enlarged
 Incisor modiefed in downwardly tusk

11. Palaeomastodon
 Same time as Phiomia : oligocene epoch
 6 feet
 Less complex

13. Dinotherium
 Lived in Miocene and Pliocene epoch
 Europe and India fossil
 No tusk in upper jaw
 Lower jaw tusk downward backward: digging roots of
plants
 Small proboscis

15. Trilophodon/Gomphotherium
 In Miocene in Europe, Africa, America
 Large body as Asiatic elephant
 Upper tusk downward
 Lower jaw long , pair of tusk

17. Teralophodon
 Fossil in India, North America.
 Molar high crowned 4 crossing cups
 Upper tusk long straight
 Lower tusk small
 Upper jaw proboscis
 Lower jaw short

19. Dibelodon
 Pliocene ,fossil in North America
 1st elephant in South America
 Short jaws
 Loss of lower tusk

21. Mastodon
 During oligocene to pleistocene in Africa, Europe,
Eurasia
 Bilophodont molar
 True mastodonts lower jaw without tusk
 Molar low crowned: foliage feeder

23. Stegodon
 South and southeast Asia only
 Pliocene to pleistocene
 Short head
 Long proboscis
 Short tuskless lower jaws
 Molar more roof like ridges as compare to mastodont
 Teeth adapted to brows vegetation contain silica
 Modern elephant evolved from this

25. Mammonteus
 Woolly mammoth
 Abundant in arctic region to Spain, Italy, Europe,
North Amrica, frozen sample in Siberia Tundra Lena
delta
 Can live in cold
 Coat of black hairs thick
 Brown wool beneath
 Tusk were curved or long
 9.5 feet

27. Loxodonta/ African elephant
 1.5 mya, Newest
 Male and female tusks
 Largest Loxodonta africana
 Smaller forest Loxodonta cyclotic
 West and central Africa forest
 Small round eyes
 Dark skin
 Found only in Sahara south
 Can use infrasonic waves for talk