Gomphotherium annectens
Lower jaw with teeth (left I2, P4, M2, M3, right M2, M3)
(scale: 20 cm)
| Locality: Mitake Town, Kani-Gun,
Gifu Prefecture, Japan Horizon: Hiramaki Formation, Mizunami Group (Lower Miocene) |
| Gomphotherium is the elephant that was first appeared in Early Miocene in Japan. They had both upper and lower incisors, while modern elephants have only upper ones. They inhabited the woods and ate buds and leaves of trees. From Europe and China, several similar species have been discovered, and this suggests that the group of elephants that had emerged in Africa came to spread widely in this period. This specimen is exhibited in the Kyoto University Museum. |
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