The genus Numidotherium

Numidotherium ("Numidia beast") is an extinct genus within the family Numidotheriidae, a primitive proboscidean that lived during the middle Eocene some 46 million years ago in North Africa.

The type species, N. koholense is known from an almost complete skeleton from the site of El Kohol, southern Algeria dating from the early/middle Eocene period. The animal had the size and the appearance of a modern tapir. Its appearance were more slender and more plantigrade than the elephants', its closest modern relative.

A new species, N. savagei has been discovered in 1995 in late Eocene deposits of Dor el Talha, Libya, together with another primitive proboscidean, Barytherium grave. N. savagei may be a synonym of N. koholense.

Described species within genus Numidotherium

  • N. koholense Jaeger (in Mahboubi et al.), 1986.
  • N. savagei Court, 1995.
       
Elephant Encyclopedia and database
ELEPHANT
ENCYCLOPEDIA

Established 1995
ELEPHANT
DATABASE
Established 2006
Your ip: 44.200.77.59
Kulen Elephant Forest