Chilgatherium

Extinct genus of mammals

Chilgatherium Temporal range: Late Oligocene

Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	†Deinotheriidae
Subfamily:	†Chilgatheriinae Sanders, Kappelman, & Rasmussen, 2004
Genus:	†Chilgatherium Sanders, Kappelman, & Rasmussen, 2004
Species:	†C. harrisi
Binomial name
†Chilgatherium harrisi Sanders, Kappelman, & Rasmussen, 2004

Chilgatherium ('Chilga beast' after the locality in which it was found) is the earliest and most primitive representative of the family Deinotheriidae.^[1] It is known from late Oligocene (27- to 28-million-year-old) fossil teeth found in the Ethiopian district of Chilga.

So far, only a few molar teeth have been found, but these are distinct enough that this animal can be identified with confidence. The teeth differ from those of Prodeinotherium, Deinotherium, and the various barytheres in various details, enough to show that this is a distinct type of animal, and has been placed in its own subfamily. Compared to later deinotheres, Chilgatherium was quite small, about 2 m (6.6 ft) tall at the shoulder and weighed about 1.5 t (1.7 short tons).^[2] It is not known if it shared the distinctive downward-curving tusks on the lower jaw that the later deinotheres had.

Chilgatherium disappeared prior to the Early Miocene, where Prodeinotherium occurred, instead.

References

^ Athanassios Athanassiou (November 2004). "On a Deinotherium (Proboscidea) finding in the Neogene of Crete". Carnets de géologie (Notebooks on geology). 5: 1–7. doi:10.4267/2042/311.
^ Larramendi, A. (2016). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 61. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014.

Gugliotta, Guy (2003) Six New Species of Prehistoric Mammals Discovered in Africa Find Proves Elephants Originated on Continent, Scientist Says, The Washington Post, Thursday, December 4, 2003; Page A02
Sanders, W.J., Kappelman, J. & Rasmussen, D. T. (2004). "New large-bodied mammals from the late Oligocene site of Chilga, Ethiopia" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 49 (3): 365–392. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2019-06-30.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Genera of the order Proboscidea

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Afrotheria
Clade: Tethytheria

Proboscidea

†Arcanotherium †Daouitherium †Eritherium †Khamsaconus? †Moeritherium †Numidotherium †Phosphatherium †Saloumia
†Barytheriidae	Barytherium Omanitherium
†Deinotheriidae	Chilgatherium Deinotherium Prodeinotherium

Elephantiformes

†Dagbatitherium †Eritreum †Hemimastodon †Palaeomastodon †Phiomia
†Mammutidae	Eozygodon Losodokodon Mammut Sinomammut Zygolophodon
†Choerolophodontidae	Afrochoerodon Choerolophodon
†Amebelodontidae	Afromastodon Amebelodon Aphanobelodon Archaeobelodon Eurybelodon Konobelodon Platybelodon Progomphotherium Protanancus Serbelodon Stenobelodon Torynobelodon
†"Trilophodont gomphotheres"	Blancotherium Cuvieronius Eubelodon Gnathabelodon Gomphotherium Notiomastodon Rhynchotherium Sinomastodon Stegomastodon
†"Tetralophodont gomphotheres"	Anancus Paratetralophodon Pediolophodon Tetralophodon
†Stegodontidae	Stegodon Stegolophodon
Elephantidae	Elephas Loxodonta †Mammuthus †Palaeoloxodon †Primelephas †Selenetherium †Stegodibelodon †Stegotetrabelodon