Mammuthus meridionalis partial foot bone (lunatum)

Mammuthus meridionalis (southern mammoth) partial foot bone (lunatum). The mammoth fossil came to the surface during gravel mining in Pest County, Hungary. The dimensions of the bone are approximately: 127 mm x 130 mm x 87 mm. Weight approx.: 1183 grams + packaging. The surface of the bone is preserved.

"(Archidiscodon) Mammuthus meridionalis: Body dimensions: 3.5-3.8 m Geological age: Lower Pleistocene, 2,500,000-550,000 years ago Geographical distribution: Europe (Western and Southern Europe)

This species is also called the "southern elephant". It appears in the mammal fauna of Europe with the Pleistocene, so it can even be a symbol of the beginning of the Quaternary. The very first representative of real elephants. The appearance of this ancient elephant is reminiscent of the Indian elephant living today. Its back was almost straight, only slightly curved, while the African elephant living today slopes steeply from the front shoulder girdle. The tusks of the huge males bend slightly outward at the base, then horizontally and at the same time towards the center in a lute shape. The tusks of the females were much smaller, they did not bend upwards or twist inwards. Archidiscodon meridionalis was an inhabitant of savannahs, but it also lived in sparse bushy landscapes and forests; it did not inhabit the grassy steppes that can be clearly called steppes.