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Choerolophodon

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Choerolophodon
Temporal range: Miocene, 11.6–5.3 Ma
Skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Proboscidea
Family:
†Choerolophodontidae
Genus:
†Choerolophodon

Species
  • C. pentelici (Gaudry and Lartet, 1856) (type)
  • C. anatolicus (Ozansoy 1965)
  • C. palaeindicus (Lydekker, 1894)
  • C. corrugatus (Pilgrim, 1913)
  • C. chioticus Tobien, 1980
  • C. guangheensis Wang and Deng, 2011
  • C. ngorora (Maglio, 1974)
  • C. zaltaniensis Gaziry, 1987
Synonyms
  • Mastodon pentelicus Gaudry and Lartet, 1856

Choerolophodon is an extinct genus of proboscidean that lived during the Miocene of Eurasia and Africa. Fossils of Choerolophodon have been found in Africa, Southeast Europe, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and China.[1][2][3][4] Choerolophodon has a single pair of tusks growing from the upper jaw, which are long and strongly curved.[5]

Taxonomy

Restoration

Numerous species of Choerolophodon are known: C. pentelicus, C. anatolicus and C. chioticus from Southeast Europe (Turkey (Yamula Dam in Kayseri), Greece, Bulgaria) and the Middle East, C. palaeindicus and C. corrugatus from the Indian subcontinent, C. guangheensis from China, and C. ngorora and C. zaltaniensis from Africa.[6] The name Choerolophodon was erected for "Mastodon" pentelicus from Greece by Schlesinger (1917) based on the discovery of new material from the pentelicus type locality.[7]

Molar

Cultural significance

Possible influence on Greek myths

Choerolophodon is among the fossil proboscideans represented in the Miocene-age deposits on the Greek island of Samos, alongside Konobelodon and Deinotherium.[8] Adrienne Mayor and Nikos Solounias have speculated that these taxa may have influenced local legends of the island's deep history, serving as inspiration for gigantic mythical monsters called Neades, creatures whose voices were believed to cause earthquakes. Mayor and Solounias base their speculation on the fact that the fossils on Samos are found near a major fault zone, suggesting that ancient Greeks may have interpreted the presence of their skeletal remains as being associated with past seismic activity in the region.[9] Ancient sources attest that the bones of these creatures were put on display and that their stories inspired local expressions such as "They shout louder than the Neades!"[10]

Mayor and Solounias also suggest that these fossils may have inspired another story of the god Dionysus waging war with the Amazons on Samos, drawing similar comparisons between the island's geology and a description by Plutarch of this mythic fight. In this story, their skeletal remains are interpreted as belonging to the victims of this ancient war, who like the Neades were able to rend the earth when they cried out in death.[9] They argue that ancient residents of Samos were aware of both the island's fossil record and its geology, and that these stories were early attempts to make sense of the two.[11]

References

  1. ^ Chunxiao Li, Shi-Qi Wang, Dimila Mothé & Xijun Ni (2019) New fossils of early and middle Miocene Choerolophodon from northern China reveal a Holarctic distribution of Choerolophodontidae, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2019.1618864
  2. ^ Sankhyan, Anek R. and Chavasseau, Olivier. 2018. New proboscidean fossils from Middle Siwaliks of Haritalyangar area, Himachal Pradesh, India. Palaeontologia Electronica 21.1.15A 1-12. https://doi.org/10.26879/844 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2018/2200-haritalyangar-proboscideans
  3. ^ Wang, S.; Deng, T. (2011). "The first Choerolophodon (Proboscidea, Gomphotheriidae) skull from China". Science China Earth Sciences. 54 (9): 1326. doi:10.1007/s11430-011-4201-6. S2CID 131674259.
  4. ^ "Tek parça halinde ve 7.5 milyon yıllık! Kayseri'de bulundu - Habertürk". Haberturk.com (in Turkish). Habertürk. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  5. ^ Konidaris, George E.; Koufos, George D. (2013) [March 2013]. "Late Miocene Proboscidea (Mammalia) from Macedonia and Samos Island, Greece: preliminary results". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 87 (1): 121–140. doi:10.1007/s12542-012-0147-z. ISSN 0031-0220. S2CID 128764592.
  6. ^ George E. Konidaris, George D. Koufos, Dimitris S. Kostopoulos & Gildas Merceron (2016) Taxonomy, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of Choerolophodon (Proboscidea, Mammalia) in the Miocene of SE Europe-SW Asia: implications for phylogeny and biogeography, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 14:1, 1-27, DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2014.985339
  7. ^ Schlesinger, G., 1917. Die Mastodonten des K. K. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. Denkschriften des K. K. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums 1:1-230.
  8. ^ Konidaris, George E.; Koufos, George D. (2019-03-01). "Late Miocene proboscideans from Samos Island (Greece) revisited: new specimens from old collections". PalZ. 93 (1): 115–134. doi:10.1007/s12542-018-0432-6. ISSN 1867-6812. S2CID 133779567.
  9. ^ a b Solounias, Nikos; Ring, Uwe (2007). "Samos Island, Part II: Ancient history of the Samos fossils and the record of earthquakes". Journal of the Virtual Explorer. 27. doi:10.3809/jvirtex.2007.00179. ISSN 1441-8142.
  10. ^ Aelian, De Natura Animalium, 17.28.
  11. ^ Mayor, Adrienne (2011). The First Fossil Hunters : Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-3844-8. OCLC 910018702.
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