Page 4
Exhibit Area Overviews
Trunks and Tusks:
Meet the Proboscideans
Elephants, mammoths, and mastodons belong to a group of
mammals called proboscideans (pro-bo-SIH-dee-ans). The
name comes from the proboscis or trunk, a feature many
of these animals share. The first proboscideans appeared in
Africa about 55 million years ago. Over many generations, they
evolved into over 150 different species that ranged across the
globe.
The proboscidean family tree traces the ancestry of mammoths,
mastodons, elephants and their relatives back through 55
million years of evolutionary history. The first proboscideans
originated in Africa. From there, they expanded into
Asia, Europe, and eventually into the Americas. In Africa,
scientists find nearly complete skeletons of one of the earliest
proboscideans (Moeritherium), but complete skulls are rarely
found. To understand what these animals looked like, scientists
create composites or combinations of skull parts from different
individuals.
Guiding Questions:
Dostları ilə paylaş: 
