Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | Elephantidae |
Genus: | Palaeoloxodon |
Species: | P. mnaidriensis |
Binomial name | |
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis (Adams, 1874) |
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis or Elephas mnaidriensis is an extinct species of elephant from Malta and Sicily closely related to the modern Asian elephant. This elephant is a separate species with respect to the European mainland straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) and not just a smaller insular form.Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis has nearly 90% body reduction compared to the ancestral form with having an estimated shoulder height of about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) and a mean body weight of about 1,100 kilograms (2,400 lb). Another estimate gives a shoulder height of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a weight of 1.7 t (1.9 short tons).