astronomy-to-zoology:Genus: Platybelodon…an extinct genus of...

astronomy-to-zoology:

Genus: Platybelodon

…an extinct genus of mammals related to elephants that lived in Miocene Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Like other gomphotheres Platybelodon sported two unusualy shovel-like teeth. Platybelodon probably used these teeth to strip-bark from trees, using its inscisors as a scythe, grasping branches with its trunk and rubbing them agianst its teeth to cut them.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Proboscidea-Gomphotheriidae-Ambelodontini-Platybelodon

Images: Tomasz Jedrzejowski and Leonard G.