Elephas ekorensis

Elephas ekorensis; Temporal range: Early Pliocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Genus:	Elephas
Species:	†E. ekorensis
Binomial name
	†Elephas ekorensis; Maglio, 1970

Elephas ekorensis is an extinct species of elephant. Fossils have been found in East Africa. They date as far back as the Early Pliocene age, between 5 and 4.2 million years ago.^[1] It is the earliest species placed in the genus Elephas.^[2]^[3]^[4] It has been suggested to have been a grazer or mixed feeder (both browsing and grazing).^[5] Its placement in the genus of Elephas has been questioned, as the teeth are similar to those of the contemporaneous Loxodonta adaurora. A number of specimens assigned to it likely actually belong to other species.^[5]

References

^ Sanders, William J.; Haile-Selassie, Yohannes (June 2012). "A New Assemblage of Mid-Pliocene Proboscideans from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia: Taxonomic, Evolutionary, and Paleoecological Considerations". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 19 (2): 105–128. doi:10.1007/s10914-011-9181-y. ISSN 1064-7554.
^ Sukumar, Raman (2003). The Living Elephants: Evolutionary Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190283087.
^ Genoways, H.H. (2013). Current Mammalogy, Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 131. ISBN 9781475799095.
^ Sanders, William & Haile-Selassie, Yohannes. (2011). A New Assemblage of Mid-Pliocene Proboscideans from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia: Taxonomic, Evolutionary, and Paleoecological Considerations. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 19. 10.1007/s10914-011-9181-y.
^ ^a ^b Sanders, William J. (March 2020). "Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya". Journal of Human Evolution. 140: 102547. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.013.

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[:0-1] Sanders, William J.; Haile-Selassie, Yohannes (June 2012). "A New Assemblage of Mid-Pliocene Proboscideans from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia: Taxonomic, Evolutionary, and Paleoecological Considerations". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 19 (2): 105–128. doi:10.1007/s10914-011-9181-y. ISSN 1064-7554.

[2] Sukumar, Raman (2003). The Living Elephants: Evolutionary Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190283087.

[3] Genoways, H.H. (2013). Current Mammalogy, Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 131. ISBN 9781475799095.

[4] Sanders, William & Haile-Selassie, Yohannes. (2011). A New Assemblage of Mid-Pliocene Proboscideans from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia: Taxonomic, Evolutionary, and Paleoecological Considerations. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 19. 10.1007/s10914-011-9181-y.

[:1-5] Sanders, William J. (March 2020). "Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya". Journal of Human Evolution. 140: 102547. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.013.

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