Numidotheriidae

Numidotheriidae Temporal range: Late Paleocene–Early Oligocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Suborder:	†Plesielephantiformes
Family:	†Numidotheriidae Shoshani & Tassy, 1992
Genera
†Arcanotherium †Daouitherium †Numidotherium †Phosphatherium

Numidotheriidae is an extinct family of primitive proboscideans that lived from the late Paleocene to the early Oligocene periods of North Africa.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Fragmentary fossils (mainly teeth) of the early Eocene genera, Daouitherium and Phosphatherium, have been found in the Ouled Abdun Basin, Morocco. Numidotherium is known from an almost complete skeleton from late early Eocene deposits in southern Algeria and Libya. Compared to modern elephants, the Numidotheriidae were quite small. Phosphatherium, for instance, was only 60 cm long and weighed about 15 kg. Numidotherium was about 1 m in length. They occupied a similar ecological niche to the modern hippopotamus and the related early proboscid Moeritherium, feeding on soft, aquatic plants in marshy environments. The Numidotheriidae are not believed to be direct ancestors of modern elephants, but a collateral branch.

References

• v
• t
• e

Genera of the order Proboscidea

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Superorder: Afrotheria
• Clade: Tethytheria

Proboscidea

†Arcanotherium †Daouitherium †Eritherium †Khamsaconus? †Moeritherium †Numidotherium †Phosphatherium †Saloumia †Barytheriidae Barytherium Omanitherium †Deinotheriidae Chilgatherium Deinotherium Prodeinotherium Elephantiformes †Dagbatitherium †Eritreum †Hemimastodon †Palaeomastodon †Phiomia †Mammutidae Eozygodon Losodokodon Mammut Sinomammut Zygolophodon †Choerolophodontidae Afrochoerodon Choerolophodon †Amebelodontidae Afromastodon Amebelodon Aphanobelodon Archaeobelodon Eurybelodon Konobelodon Platybelodon Progomphotherium Protanancus Serbelodon Stenobelodon Torynobelodon †"Trilophodont gomphotheres" Blancotherium Cuvieronius Eubelodon Gnathabelodon Gomphotherium Notiomastodon Rhynchotherium Sinomastodon Stegomastodon †"Tetralophodont gomphotheres" Anancus Paratetralophodon Pediolophodon Tetralophodon †Stegodontidae Stegodon Stegolophodon Elephantidae Elephas Loxodonta †Mammuthus †Palaeoloxodon †Primelephas †Selenetherium †Stegodibelodon †Stegotetrabelodon

• See also: Plesielephantiformes
• Numidotheriidae
• Elephantimorpha
• Elephantida
• Elephantoidea

This article about a prehistoric proboscidean is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e