Tetralophodon is an extinct gomphothere genus (family Gomphotheriidae). Like typical gomphotheres, Tetralophodon had four tusks and a trunk. This genus of animals stood about ten feet tall and was a very widespread and successful proboscidea

Proboscidea

Proboscidea is a taxonomic order containing one living family, Elephantidae, and several extinct families. This order was first described by J. Illiger in 1881 and encompasses the trunked mammals...

n. Tetralophodon lived through the Miocene

Miocene

The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...

 and Pliocene

Pliocene

The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...

 epoches. These animals have been found in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, and Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. The member species are T. longirostris, T. fricki, T. atticus, and T. punjabensis.

Description

Tetralophodon was an elephant-like animal which existed in the Miocene and Pliocene eras, approximately 2.5 million years ago. The majority of the gomphotheres went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene era, during what has been named the PT extinction. While the reason for this extinction is still debated, what is known is that these massive elephantoids under the genus Tetralophodon did not survive.

Ancestral Features

Named for its four-ridged tooth, the teeth on these animals are approximately 60 x 80 mm, about 6 times the size of a normal human tooth. These low-crowned, bunodont teeth are designed for crushing and grinding, compared with other mammals during this era that had sharp teeth used for cutting. The teeth of the tetralophodon indicate a diet of large fruits and vegetables. This diet is aided by the large size and long trunks of the elephantiods that enable these mammals to reach tall, fruit-bearing trees.

Fossil records

Most fossil records of tetralophodon are of four-ridged teeth. Their body is believed to be about 10 feet tall, with a long trunk and incisors ranging up to 6.5 feet long. These incisors are believed to be utilized as a defense mechanism. Most fossils of tetralophodon have been found in South America and Europe. The name "tetralophodon" was described in the mid-19th century with the discovery of the specialized teeth.