Primelephas
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Primelephas Temporal range: Miocene - Pliocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Family: | Elephantidae |
| Subfamily: | Elephantinae |
| Genus: |
†Primelephas Maglio 1970 |
| Type species | |
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†Primelephas gomphotheroides Maglio 1970 |
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| Other species | |
Primelephas is a genus of Elephantinae that existed during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. The name of the genus suggests 'first elephant'. These primitive elephantids are hypothesised to be the common ancestor of Mammuthus, the mammoths, and the closely allied genera Elephas and Loxodonta, the African and Eurasian elephants, diverging some four to six million years ago. Unusual for an elephant, it had four tusks. The type species, Primelephas gomphotheroides, was described by Vincent Maglio in 1970, the specific epithet indicating the fossil specimens were gomphothere-like. Primelephas korotorensis is the only other species to be assigned to the genus.
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