Mammuthus meridionalis partial femur bone (2612 grams)

Partial femur (thigh) bone of Mammuthus meridionalis (southern mammoth). The mammoth fossil was unearthed during gravel mining in Pest County, Hungary. The dimensions of the bone are approximately: 182 mm x 170 mm x 138 mm. Its weight is approximately: 2612 grams + packaging. The surface of the bone is preserved with a substance called Polyvinyl Butyral 30 dissolved in ethanol. The sand carried by the river has severely worn the bone in some places.

"(Archidiscodon) Mammuthus meridionalis: Body dimensions: 3.5-4.2 m. Weight: approx. 7000 - 10000 Kg. Geological period: Lower Pleistocene, 2,500,000 - 550,000 years ago Geographical distribution: Europe (Western and Southern Europe)

This species is also called the "elephant of the south". It appears in the mammalian fauna of Europe with the Pleistocene, so it may even be a symbol of the beginning of the Quaternary. It is the earliest representative of true elephants. The appearance of this ancient elephant is reminiscent of the Indian elephant living today. Its back was almost straight, only slightly curved, while that of the African elephant living today slopes steeply from the front shoulder girdle. The tusks of the huge males bend slightly outwards at their base, then horizontally and at the same time in a lute shape towards the middle. The The tusks of females were much smaller, did not curve upwards or inwards. Archidiscodon meridionalis was a savannah dweller, but it also lived in sparse scrubland and forests; it did not inhabit the grassy steppes that could be called steppes.