Elephas

The elephant tusks Returning to our elephant tusks, it has already been mentioned that they belong to two different forms. The first is the straight-tusked elephant (Elephas antiquus), characterized by •elongated tusks •widely spaced lamellae in the molars. The specimens from Steinheim represent the different shapes of tusks in this species particularly well. Examples include: •Specimen No. 12868, about 2 m long – a slender tusk, probably from a female, nearly straight like that of a mastodon. •Specimen No. 12355, 1.8 m long – extremely strong and robust, closely resembling the tusks of the living African elephant. •Specimen No. 10300, 2.75 m long, and No. 9931, 3.38 m long – showing a gentle curvature with only slight inward bending at the tip. Closely related to these is our newly discovered specimen illustrated in Plate II (below): •Specimen No. 13124, measuring 3.75 m in length. This is the longest tusk yet found in Steinheim. Besides its length, it is notable for its elegant curvature. Because it is a left tusk, it would have curved slightly inward when attached to the skull. The mammoth tusk The mammoth series (Elephas primigenius) differs from the straight-tusked elephant by: •much stronger curvature of the tusks •more closely spaced lamellae in the molars. The true mammoth is characteristic of the late Pleistocene and is famously preserved with skin and flesh in the frozen ground of Siberia. However, since the Steinheim deposits are geologically older, it is unlikely that true mammoths like those found in the loess of Cannstatt occur here. Instead, many molars and a magnificent tusk discovered in 1908 (No. 12357) indicate an older species of the mammoth lineage described by Pohlig: Elephas trogontherii. An even closer relative to the later woolly mammoth, and perhaps its direct ancestor, is our gigantic skeleton described as Elephas primigenius fraasii, although its tusks are still less strongly curved than those of the true mammoth. The most strongly curved tusk The extreme example of tusk curvature among all specimens found in Steinheim is the newly illustrated specimen on Plate II (above): •Specimen No. 13150, a massive right tusk measuring 3.70 m along the outer curve. This tusk forms a beautiful arc covering about three-quarters of a circle, with a slight spiral twist toward the tip. From a geological standpoint it would still be classified as Elephas trogontherii, but from a paleontological perspective it already closely resembles the later woolly mammoth (Elephas primigenius). Conclusion These two magnificent tusks therefore represent an excellent addition to the fossil fauna of Steinheim. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the Association for the Promotion of the Royal Natural History Collection, which made the acquisition of these remarkable specimens possible.

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For comparison: Image 1 Tsavo Super Tusker Meno Moja. His single tusk is 2.13 m long Image 2 3.70 m long right tusk of The Steppe Elephant (Mammuthus primigenius fraasi) 3.75 m long left tusk of The European straight-tusked elephant (Elephas antiquus) https://t.co/Se1zSNKHHf