Proboscidea

The Proboscidea (from the Latin proboscis) are a taxonomic order containing one living family, Elephantidae, and several extinct families. This order, first described by J. Illiger in 1811, encompasses the trunked mammals. Later proboscideans are distinguished by tusks and long, muscular trunks; these features are less developed or absent in early proboscideans.

The earliest known proboscidean is Eritherium, followed by Phosphatherium, a small animal about the size of a fox. These both date from late Paleocene deposits of Morocco.

Proboscideans diversified during the Eocene and early Oligocene. Several primitive families from these epochs have been described, including Numidotheriidae, Moeritheriidae, and Barytheriidae in Africa, and Anthracobunidae from the Indian subcontinent. These were followed by the earliest Deinotheriidae, or "hoe tuskers", which thrived during the Miocene and into the early Quaternary. Proboscideans from the Miocene also included Stegolophodon, an early genus of the disputed family Stegodontidae; the diverse family of Gomphotheriidae, or "shovel tuskers", such as Platybelodon and Amebelodon; and the Mammutidae, or mastodons.

Most families of Proboscidea are now extinct, many since the end of the last glacial period. Recently extinct species include the last examples of gomphotheres in Central and South America, the American mastodon of family Mammutidae in North America, numerous stegodonts once found in Asia, the last of the mammoths, and several island species of dwarf elephants.

The classification of proboscideans is unstable and frequently revised, and some relationships within the order remain unclear. As of 2005, at least 177 species and subspecies of proboscideans, classified in 43 genera, are recognized; the order is summarized as:

Proboscidea
incertae sedis †Moeritheriidae
Moeritherium
†Plesielephantiformes
†Numidotheriidae
Phosphatherium
Daouitherium
Numidotherium
†Barytheriidae
Barytherium
†Deinotheriidae
Chilgatherium
Prodeinotherium
Deinotherium
Elephantiformes
incertae sedisHemimastodon
†Palaeomastodontidae
Palaeomastodon
†Phiomiidae
Phiomia
Elephantimorpha
incertae sedisEritreum
†Mammutida (mastodons)
†Mammutoidea
†Mammutidae
†Eozygodontinae
Eozygodon
†Mammutinae
Zygolophodon
Mammut
Elephantida
†Gomphotherioidea
†Gomphotheriidae (gomphotheres)
incertae sedisGnathabelodon
incertae sedisProgomphotherium
incertae sedisAfromastodon
†Choerolophodontinae
Choerolophodon
†Gomphotheriinae
Gomphotherium
†Amebelodontinae
Archaeobelodon
Serbelodon
Protanancus
Amebelodon
Platybelodon
incertae sedisSinomastodon
incertae sedisEubelodon
†Rhynchotheriinae
Rhynchotherium
†Cuvieroniinae
Cuvieronius
Stegomastodon
Haplomastodon
Notiomastodon
Elephantoidea
incertae sedisTetralophodon
incertae sedisMorrillia
incertae sedisAnancus
incertae sedisParatetralophodon
†Stegodontidae
Stegolophodon
Stegodon
Elephantidae
†Stegotetrabelodontinae
Stegotetrabelodon
Stegodibelodon
Elephantinae (elephants and mammoths)
Primelephas
Loxodontini
Loxodonta
Elephantini
Palaeoloxodon
Elephas
Mammuthus