Researchers have now analyzed an old relative of the African elephant’s enormous skull and determined that it consumed significantly less energy than others, which allowed it to be the dominant species at the time.
Researchers from Michigan examined the enormous cranium of an extinct Loxodonta Adaurora, which lived in Kenya 4.5 million years ago.
The animal’s first molars had a thicker cementum coating than others, and are more robust to wear. Commonly found among grass-eating animals.
As a result, Loxodonta adaurora used less energy to to feed, which in turn allowed it to live longer – beating out the six or seven other elephant species living at the same time and in the same region.
The modern-day African elephant, however, is still the predominant species of eastern Africa.
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Researchers at the University of Michigan have analyzed an enormous cranium of an extinct Loxodonta Adaurora, which was found in Kenya 4.5 million years ago.
The fossilized cranium, labeled as KNM-ER 63642 by the National Museums of Kenya, was discovered in 2013 in the Ileret Region, northeast side of Lake Turkana.
It was a huge two-ton beast and belonged a male Loxodonta aurora.
In total, the male L. adaurora weighed about nine tons and likely stood about 12 feet at the shoulder—significantly larger than than modern-day male elephants.
An average elephant today is about 7 tons in weight and 9-10 feet tall.
The University of Michigan researchers discovered that the cranium had been raised from its front to back.
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These molars were thicker coated with cementum and have a higher crown than those of other elephants. This makes them more resilient to wear common in grass-eating animals.
KNMER 63642 was the National Museums of Kenya’s label for the fossilized cranium. This cranium was found in Kenya in 2013. The site at which the cranium is found was located 14
It suggests that the chewing muscles are arranged in a unique way, which is suited to efficiently shearing grasses.
William Sanders, University of Michigan Paleontologist said that Loxodonta Adaurora was the predominant elephant species in the Pliocene.
These molars were thicker coated with cementum and have a higher crown than those of other elephants. This makes them more resilient to wear common in grass-eating animals.
There were seven to eight Africans living in Eastern Africa. At the time there were several species of elephants along with horses and antelope.
These animals included many that were not listed.Researchers say that they can become grazers to compete for available grasses.
Sanders, associate research scientist in the U-M Museum of Paleontology as well as in the Department of Anthropology stated, “The adaptations of L. adaurora gave it a great advantage than more primitive elephants in its ability to consume more food, chew it more efficiently, and live longer to bear more offspring.”
Loxodonta adaurora used less energy to to feed, which in turn allowed it to live longer – beating out the six or seven other elephant species living at the same time and in the same region
The team describes the cranium as belonging to an male L. adaurora that weighed about nine tons and likely stood about 12 feet at the shoulder—bigger than average male elephants of modern times. Pictured: The average elephant today weighs around seven tonnes and is nine- to ten feet high.
Loxodonta adaurora was also a companion to two of the most well-known Australopithecine species from eastern Africa. They shared many similarities with each other, including being human-like as well as primate-like.
Ancient elephants maintained grasses at a low level, which enabled australopithecines to view the plants and look out for predators.
These ancient elephants also uprooted shrubs and knocked over trees, which resulted in spreading seeds through the area and gowning more nutrients for both the animal and australopithecines.
Sanders explained that the elephants were responsible for many of the early successes and origins in our family’s biological lineage.
Their presence in the landscape made it more inviting for adaptations and activities of the first bipedal hominins.
“From this point of view, it’s tragic that human activities such as poaching, encroaching on land, and climate change caused by human activity are now leading to the loss of our evolutionary lineage.
Palaeovertebrata has published the research.