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Gomphotherium
 
 
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Gomphotherium (pronunciation: gom-fo-THEER-ee-um) ("Welded Beast") is an extinct genus of proboscid
Proboscidea

Proboscidea is an order containing only one family of living animals, Elephantidae, the elephants, with three living species .During the period of the last ice age there were more, now extinct species, including the genus of elephants Mammuthus and the elephant-like species the mastodons....
 which evolved in the Early Miocene
Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
 of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and invaded Asia, Europe and Africa after a drop in sea level (probably during the Tortonian
Tortonian

Tortonian is a age of the late Miocene epoch that spans the time between 11.608 ? 0.005 annum and 7.246 ? 0.005 Ma ....
 epoch). It survived into the Pliocene
Pliocene

The Pliocene epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 1.806 million years before present.The Pliocene is the second epoch of the Neogene period in the Cenozoic era....
, and its remains have been found in France, Germany, Austria, Kansas, Pakistan and Kenya.

Gomphotherium, also known as Trilophodon or Tetrabelodon, stood around high, and resembled a modern elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
 in most respects.






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Gomphotherium (pronunciation: gom-fo-THEER-ee-um) ("Welded Beast") is an extinct genus of proboscid
Proboscidea

Proboscidea is an order containing only one family of living animals, Elephantidae, the elephants, with three living species .During the period of the last ice age there were more, now extinct species, including the genus of elephants Mammuthus and the elephant-like species the mastodons....
 which evolved in the Early Miocene
Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
 of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and invaded Asia, Europe and Africa after a drop in sea level (probably during the Tortonian
Tortonian

Tortonian is a age of the late Miocene epoch that spans the time between 11.608 ? 0.005 annum and 7.246 ? 0.005 Ma ....
 epoch). It survived into the Pliocene
Pliocene

The Pliocene epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 1.806 million years before present.The Pliocene is the second epoch of the Neogene period in the Cenozoic era....
, and its remains have been found in France, Germany, Austria, Kansas, Pakistan and Kenya.

Gomphotherium, also known as Trilophodon or Tetrabelodon, stood around high, and resembled a modern elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
 in most respects. However, it had four tusks; two on the upper jaw and two on the elongated lower jaw. The lower tusks are parallel and shaped like a shovel
Shovel

A shovel is a tool for lifting and moving loose material such as coal, gravel, snow, soil, or sand and is an extremely common tool which is used extensively in agriculture, construction and gardening....
 and were probably used as such. Unlike modern elephants, the upper tusks were covered by a layer of enamel. Compared to elephants, the skull was more elongated and low. These animals probably lived in swamps or near lakes, using their tusks to dig or scrape up aquatic vegetation. In comparison to earlier proboscids, Gomphotherium had far fewer molars
Molar (tooth)

Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
; the remaining ones had high ridges to expand their grinding surface.

A complete skeleton of Gomphotherium has been found at Mühldorf
Mühldorf

M?hldorf is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the M?hldorf on the river Inn river. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005....
, Germany, in 1971.