Palaeoloxodon naumanni

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Palaeoloxodon naumanni
Temporal range: Middle to Late Pleistocene 0.33–0.024  Ma
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Palaeoloxodon naumanni.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Palaeoloxodon
Species:
P. naumanni
Binomial name
Palaeoloxodon naumanni
(Makiyama, 1924)
Synonyms
  • Elephas namadicus naumannniMakiyama, 1924

Palaeoloxodon naumanni, occasionally called Naumann's elephant, [1] is an extinct species belonging to the genus Palaeoloxodon found in the Japanese archipelago during the Middle to Late Pleistocene around 330,000 to 24,000 years ago. It is named after Heinrich Edmund Naumann who discovered the first fossils at Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. Fossils attributed to P. naumanni are also known from China and Korea, though the status of these specimens is unresolved, and some authors regard them as belonging to separate species.

Contents

Description

Sculptures at Nojiri Lake Museum of Naumann Elephant Nojiri-ko Museum Palaeoloxodon naumanni.jpg
Sculptures at Nojiri Lake Museum of Naumann Elephant

Palaeoloxodon naumanni, like other members of the genus Palaeoloxodon had a parietal-occipital crest on the top of the skull. In comparison to other Eurasian species of Palaeoloxodon, the parietal-occipital crest was only weakly developed. [2] P. naumanni has a reconstructed shoulder height of 2–2.8 metres (6.6–9.2 ft), with males being noticeably larger than females. The tusks were upward curving and somewhat twisted in males, but were relatively straight and untwisted in females, and reached a maximum length of about 2.2–2.4 metres (7.2–7.9 ft) and a maximum diameter of 20 centimetres (7.9 in). [3]

Discovery and nomenclature

In 1860, the first fossil record was found at Yokosuka and the bottom of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. Heinrich Edmund Naumann researched and reported these fossils in “Ueber japanische Elephanten der Vorzeit” (1882). Naumann classified the fossil as Elephas namadicus Falconer & Cautley. In 1924, Jiro Makiyama  [ ja ] researched fossils found in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and, in his in “Notes on a Fossil Elephant from Sahamma, Totomi”, reported that the elephant was a previously unidentified subspecies, and designated the fossil Elephas namadicus naumannni. Tadao Kamei identified Elephas namadicus naumanni as a new species, called Palaeoloxodon naumanni, from fossils found at Lake Nojiri. It has also been called Elephas naumanni. [4]

Remains from mainland China and Korea have been attributed to this species by some authors. However, other authors attribute the Chinese remains, which are considerably larger than Japanese P. naumanii, to the separate species P. huaihoensis, originally named as a subspecies of P. naumanni. [2]

Distribution

P. naumanni is known from hundreds of localities across the Japanese archipelago, north to Hokkaido, [3] where during the Late Pleistocene it alternated with the woolly mammoth during warmer intervals. [5] It is suggested that it preferred temperate forested habitats, including broad-leaved trees and conifers. [3]

Evolution and extinction

The oldest known date for the species is around 330,000 years ago, [3] when it seems to have replaced the earlier proboscidean Stegodon orientalis , which had arrived from mainland East Asia several hundred thousand years earlier. [6] The most recent reliable dates for the species are around 24,000 years Before Present (BP), during the early stages of the Last Glacial Maximum. Any more recent dates are considered unreliable. [7]

Relationship with humans

Bones of P. naumanni alongside those of the extinct giant deer Sinomegaceros yabei at Lake Nojiri in Nagano Prefecture dating to approximately 37,900 years BP have been found together with many lithic and bone tool artifacts, suggesting that the elephants were butchered by humans at the site. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proboscidea</span> Order of elephant-like mammals

Proboscidea is a taxonomic order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by J. Illiger in 1811, it encompasses the elephants and their close relatives. Proboscideans include some of the largest known land mammals. The largest land mammal of all time may have been a proboscidean; the elephant Palaeoloxodon namadicus has been estimated to be up to 5.2 m (17.1 ft) at the shoulder and may have weighed up to 22 t, surpassing the paraceratheres, the otherwise largest known land mammals, though this estimate was made based on a single fragmentary femur and is speculative. The largest extant proboscidean is the African bush elephant, with a record of size of 4 m (13.1 ft) at the shoulder and 10.4 t. In addition to their enormous size, later proboscideans are distinguished by tusks and long, muscular trunks, which were less developed or absent in early proboscideans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephantidae</span> Family of mammals

Elephantidae is a family of large, herbivorous proboscidean mammals collectively called elephants and mammoths. These are large terrestrial mammals with a snout modified into a trunk and teeth modified into tusks. Most genera and species in the family are extinct. Only two genera, Loxodonta and Elephas, are living.

<i>Elephas</i> Genus of mammals

Elephas is one of two surviving genera in the family of elephants, Elephantidae, with one surviving species, the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus. Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending back to the Pliocene era.

<i>Palaeoloxodon</i> Genus of extinct elephants

Palaeoloxodon is an extinct genus of elephant. The genus originated in Africa during the Early Pleistocene, and expanded into Eurasia at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The genus contains some of the largest known species of elephants, over 4 metres (13 ft) tall at the shoulders, including the African Palaeoloxodon recki, the European straight-tusked elephant and the South Asian Palaeoloxodon namadicus. P. namadicus has been suggested to be the largest known land mammal by some authors based on extrapolation from fragmentary remains, though these estimates are highly speculative. In contrast, the genus also contains many species of dwarf elephants that evolved via insular dwarfism on islands in the Mediterranean, some only 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, making them the smallest elephants known. The genus has a long and complex taxonomic history, and at various times, it has been considered to belong to Loxodonta or Elephas, but today is usually considered a valid and separate genus in its own right.

<i>Stegodon</i> Genus of extinct proboscidean

Stegodon is an extinct genus of proboscidean, related to elephants. It was originally assigned to the family Elephantidae along with modern elephants but is now placed in the extinct family Stegodontidae. Like elephants, Stegodon had teeth with plate-like lophs that are different from those of more primitive proboscideans like gomphotheres and mammutids. The oldest fossils of the genus are found in Late Miocene strata in Asia, likely originating from the more archaic Stegolophodon, subsequently migrating into Africa. While the genus became extinct in Africa during the Pliocene, Stegodon remained widespread in South, Southeast and East Asia until the end of the Pleistocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf elephant</span> Prehistoric elephant species

Dwarf elephants are prehistoric members of the order Proboscidea which, through the process of allopatric speciation on islands, evolved much smaller body sizes in comparison with their immediate ancestors. Dwarf elephants are an example of insular dwarfism, the phenomenon whereby large terrestrial vertebrates that colonize islands evolve dwarf forms, a phenomenon attributed to adaptation to resource-poor environments and lack of predation and competition.

<i>Palaeoloxodon recki</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon recki, often known by the synonym Elephas recki is an extinct species of elephant native to Africa and West Asia from the Pliocene or Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene. During most of its existence, the species in its broadest sense represented the dominant elephant species in East Africa. While the type subspecies P. recki recki as well as P. recki ileretensis are widely accepted to be closely related to Eurasian Palaeoloxodon, the relationships of the other, chronologically earlier subspecies to P. recki recki and P. recki ileretensis are uncertain, with it being suggested they are unrelated and should be elevated to separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight-tusked elephant</span> Extinct species of elephant

The straight-tusked elephant is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Recovered individuals have reached up to 3.81–4.2 metres (12.5–13.8 ft) in shoulder height, and an estimated 11.3–15 tonnes in weight. Like modern elephants, the straight-tusked elephant lived in herds, flourishing during interglacial periods, when its range would extend as far north as Great Britain. Skeletons found in association with stone tools and wooden spears suggest they were scavenged and hunted by early humans, including Neanderthals. It is the ancestral species of most dwarf elephants that inhabited islands in the Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Nojiri</span>

Lake Nojiri is in the town of Shinano, Kamiminochi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Second to Lake Suwa among lakes in Nagano Prefecture, Nojiri is a resort, the location of the first pumped-storage hydroelectricity in Japan, and the site of a Japanese Paleolithic excavation.

<i>Palaeoloxodon falconeri</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon falconeri is an extinct species of dwarf elephant from the Middle Pleistocene of Sicily and Malta. It is amongst the smallest of all dwarf elephants at only 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height. A member of the genus Palaeoloxodon, it derived from a population of the mainland European straight-tusked elephant.

<i>Palaeoloxodon namadicus</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon namadicus is an extinct species of prehistoric elephant known from the early Middle to Late Pleistocene of the Indian subcontinent, and possibly also elsewhere in Asia. The species grew larger than any living elephant, and some authors have suggested it to have been the largest known land mammal based on extrapolation from fragmentary remains, though these estimates are speculative.

<i>Palaeoloxodon cypriotes</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon cypriotes is an extinct species of dwarf elephant that inhabited the island of Cyprus during the Late Pleistocene. Remains comprise 44 molars, found in the north of the island, seven molars discovered in the south-east, a single measurable femur and a single tusk among very sparse additional bone and tusk fragments. The molars support derivation from the large straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus). The species is presumably derived from the older, larger P. xylophagou from the late Middle Pleistocene which reached the island presumably during a Pleistocene glacial maximum when low sea levels allowed a low probability sea crossing between Cyprus and Asia Minor. During subsequent periods of isolation the population adapted within the evolutionary mechanisms of insular dwarfism, which the available sequence of molar fossils confirms to a certain extent. The fully developed Palaeoloxodon cypriotes weighed not more than 200 kg (440 lb) and had a height of around 1 m (3.28 ft). The species became extinct around 12,000 years ago, around the time humans first colonised Cyprus.

<i>Elephas hysudricus</i> Extinct species of mammal

Elephas hysudricus is an extinct elephant species known from the Pleistocene of Asia. It is thought to be ancestral to the living Asian elephant, from which it is distinguished by the molar teeth having a lower crown height and a lower lamellae number. Remains of the species are primarily known from the Indian subcontinent, with the most important remains coming from the Siwalik Hills. The oldest remains of the species in the Siwaliks are placed at around 2.6 million year ago at the beginning of the Early Pleistocene, with the youngest dates in the Siwaliks during the Middle Pleistocene around 0.6 million years ago, though it likely persisted on the subcontinent later than this based on remains found elsewhere. Remains likely attributable to the species are also known from the Levant in Israel and Jordan, dating to the late Middle Pleistocene, likely sometime between 500-100,000 years ago. Isotopic analysis of specimens from the Indian subcontinent suggests that early members of the species were likely primarily grazers, but shifted towards mixed feeding after the arrival of the substantially larger elephant species Palaeoloxodon namadicus to the region. It is suggested to be closely related and possibly ancestral to the extinct Elephas hysudrindicus from the Pleistocene of Java in Indonesia.

<i>Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis is an extinct species of dwarf elephant belonging to the genus Palaeoloxodon, native to the Siculo-Maltese archipelago during the late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. It is derived from the European mainland straight-tusked elephant.

<i>Elephas hysudrindicus</i> Extinct species of mammal

Elephas hysudrindicus, commonly known also as the Blora elephant in Indonesia, is a species of extinct elephant from the Pleistocene of Java. It is anatomically distinct from the Asian elephant, the last remaining species of elephant under the genus Elephas. The species existed from around the end of the Early Pleistocene until the end of the Middle Pleistocene, when it was replaced by the modern Asian elephant, coexisting alongside fellow proboscidean Stegodon trigonocephalus, as well archaic humans belonging to the species Homo erectus.

<i>Stegodon aurorae</i> Species of fossil elephantoid

Stegodon aurorae, also known as the Akebono elephant, is a species of fossil elephantoid known from Early Pleistocene Japan and Taiwan.

<i>Elephas beyeri</i> Extinct species of elephant

Elephas beyeri is an extinct species of dwarf elephant belonging to the Elephantidae family of the Middle Pleistocene. It was named after the anthropologist H. Otley Beyer. The type specimen was discovered on Cabarruyan Island in The Philippines but has since been lost.

<i>Sinomegaceros</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Sinomegaceros is an extinct genus of deer known from the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene of Central and East Asia. It is considered to be part of the group of "giant deer", with a close relationship to Megaloceros. Many members of the genus are noted for their distinctive palmate antler brow tines.

<i>Palaeoloxodon huaihoensis</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon huaihoensis is an extinct species of elephant belonging to the genus Palaeoloxodon known from the Pleistocene of China. It was first named a subspecies of P. naumanni by J. Liu in 1977 based on a partial skeleton from Huaiyuan, Anhui, and was later elevated to species rank by G. Qi in 1999, who also included remains found in the Penghu Channel between the Penghu archipelago and Taiwan. The Penghu Channel remains are suggested to date to the Middle and Late Pleistocene. A mostly complete adult skull from Late Pleistoene Nihewan basin in Hebei may be referrable to this species. The body size is very large, comparable to Indian Palaeoloxodon namadicus and the European straight-tusked elephant. In comparison to Indian P. namadicus, the postcranial skeleton is substantially more robust, and greatly resembles that of P. antiquus. The morphology of IVPP V4443 is also overall more similar to that of P. antiquus than P. namadicus, but the parietal-occipital crest at the top of the skull displays a very robust morphology closer to that of P. namadicus. The oldest remains of Palaeoloxodon in North China date to the early Middle Pleistocene, around 700,000 years ago. The latest dates for Palaeoloxodon in China are from the Late Pleistocene, and a Holocene survival is not substantiated. Mitochondrial genomes retrieved from Chinese Palaeoloxodon individuals from North China reveal that like the European P. antiquus, they harboured mitochondrial lineages derived from those of African forest elephants as a result of hybridisation with that species prior to Palaeoloxodon leaving Africa.

References

  1. Norihisa, Inuzuka; Hasegawa, Yoshikazu; Nogariya, Hiroshi; Kamei, Tadao (31 Jan 1975). "On the Stylohyoid Bone of Naumann's Elephant (Elephas naumanni MAKIYAMA) from Lake Nojiri" (PDF). Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Series of Geology and Mineralogy. 41 (1): 49. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 Larramendi, Asier; Zhang, Hanwen; Palombo, Maria Rita; Ferretti, Marco P. (February 2020). "The Evolution of Palaeoloxodon Skull Structure: Disentangling Phylogenetic, Sexually Dimorphic, Ontogenetic, and Allometric Morphological Signals". Quaternary Science Reviews. 229: 106090. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.106090. S2CID   213676377.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Takahashi, Keiichi (2022-10-29). "An Overview of Palaeloxodon naumanni, the Palaeoloxodon (Elephantidae) of the Far East: Distribution, Morphology and Habitat". Historical Biology: 1–18. doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2132857. ISSN   0891-2963.
  4. "ナウマン象に出会った石器たち「-3万5千年前の石器製作跡か?-」" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011.
  5. Takahashi, Keiichi; Soeda, Yuji; Izuho, Masami; Yamada, Goro; Akamatsu, Morio; Chang, Chun-Hsiang (April 2006). "The Chronological Record of the Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) in Japan, and its Temporary Replacement by Palaeoloxodon naumanni During MIS 3 in Hokkaido (northern Japan)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 233 (1–2): 1–10. Bibcode:2006PPP...233....1T. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.08.006.
  6. YOSHIKAWA, Shusaku; KAWAMURA, Yoshinari; TARUNO, Hiroyuki (March 2007). "Land Bridge Formation and Proboscidean Immigration into the Japanese Islands During the Quaternary" (PDF). Journal of Geosciences, Osaka City University. 50: 1–6.
  7. Iwase, Akira; Hashizume, Jun; Izuho, Masami; Takahashi, Keiichi; Sato, Hiroyuki (March 2012). "Timing of Megafaunal Extinction in the Late Late Pleistocene on the Japanese Archipelago". Quaternary International. 255: 114–124. Bibcode:2012QuInt.255..114I. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.03.029.
  8. Kondo, Y.; Takeshita, Y.; Watanabe, T.; Seki, M.; Nojiri-ko Excavation Research Group (April 2018). "Geology and Quaternary Environments of the Tategahana Paleolithic Site in Nojiri-ko (Lake Nojiri), Nagano, Central Japan". Quaternary International. 471: 385–395. Bibcode:2018QuInt.471..385K. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.12.012.