From the Horn of Africa comes a new fossil related to modern day elephants. Its around 27 million years old though all we have are parts of its lower jaw - but teeth can be very revealing. There are specifically intermediate features that show Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi to be a distinct species, and looking at the proportions of the jaw it is possible to deduce other measurements. In the picture above Eritreum is the smaller one.
Its a good example of gradual change over time. For an overview of elephant evolution take a look here.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment