The origin and evolution of elephants

Elephants are one of the largest terrestrial animals in the world, and their origins can be traced back to ancient Mongolia about 40 million years ago.

Modern elephants are mainly divided into two genera: African elephants (Loxodonta) and Asian elephants (Elephas). African elephants include African elephants and forest elephants, while Asian elephants include Asian elephants, Sri Lankan elephants and Indian elephants.

According to genetic research, the ancestors of modern elephants can be traced back to the late Miocene about 25 million years ago, when elephants were smaller than modern elephants and similar in size to modern hippos. Later, they gradually evolved into larger early true elephants (Proboscidea), which had long trunks and long teeth and were able to thrive in large grasslands and forests under ancient climate conditions.

In recent decades, scientists have explored the evolutionary history and taxonomic relationships of elephants through the study of extinct elephant fossils and genetic analysis of modern elephants. Although there are still many unknown areas to explore, we have a deeper understanding of the evolution and taxonomy of elephants.

animal tags：