Mammuthus meridionalis tooth (184 grams)

A tooth of Mammuthus meridionalis (southern mammoth), worn down through the process of chewing and the abrasive action of river currents. This mammoth fossil was unearthed during gravel mining operations in Pest County, Hungary. The approximate dimensions of the tooth are: 94 mm in length, 36 mm in height, and 54 mm in width. Its weight is approximately 184 grams + packaging. The surface of the tooth has been preserved using Polyvinyl Butyral 30, dissolved in ethanol.

(Archidiscodon) Mammuthus meridionalis: Body size: 3.5–4.2 m. Mass: approx. 7,000–10,000 kg. Geological age: Early Pleistocene, 2,500,000–550,000 years ago. Geographical distribution: Europe (Western and Southern Europe).

This species is also known as the "southern elephant." It appears in the European mammalian fauna at the onset of the Pleistocene, serving almost as a symbol for the beginning of the Quaternary period. It is the earliest representative of the "true" elephants. In appearance, this prehistoric elephant resembles the modern-day Indian elephant. Its back was nearly straight—only slightly curved—whereas the back of the modern African elephant slopes steeply downward from the shoulder region. The tusks of the massive males curve slightly outward at the base, then extend horizontally, curving toward the center in a lyre-like shape. The tusks of the females were significantly smaller; they did not curve upward, nor did they twist inward. *Archidiscodon meridionalis* inhabited savannas, as well as areas with sparse scrub and forests; however, it did not inhabit open, grassy plains—environments strictly classified as steppes.