Basilicata
Palaeoloxodon antiquus
Nearly complete elephant skeleton
Description
The fossil, which is approximately 700.000 years old, is a nearly complete skeleton of Palaeoloxodon antiquus (known as the straight-tusked elephant), a species that became extinct during the Upper Pleistocene.
The specimen was discovered in 1982 on the northern slope of the Pollino massif, in the Lower-Middle Pleistocene fluvial sediments of the Mercure, an intramountain basin in the southern Apennines. The high degree of anatomical connection among the skeletal parts indicates that the carcass was transported a short distance after death; that rapid burial enabled its excellent preservation. The skeleton, which was recently restored, has not yet been reconstructed in anatomical connection.
The site represents an important mammalian fossil deposit in southern Italy, yielding remains of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (rhinoceros) and Hippopotamus antiquus (hippopotamus), animals now extinct on the European continent, which bear witness to the profound climate changes that affected the Italian peninsula during the Quaternary.
Classification and size comparison
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: †Palaeoloxodon
Species: †Palaeoloxodon antiquus
Falconer & Cautley, 1847
Modified from “Reproducción de Palaeoloxodon antiquus.jpg” evidence for the reconstruction of Jl FilpoC, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY‑SA 4.0(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Geologic Time Scale
- ERA: Cenozoic
- PERIOD: Quaternary
- EPOCH: Pleistocene
- AGE: Calabriano-Chibaniano (1.8-0.13 Ma)
Site of discovery
Località Calorie, Rotonda (PZ)
Display location
Museo di Storia Naturale del Pollino, Rotonda
Gallery
Trace the history of the discovery of the Rotonda elephant, from the find and preparation of the specimen through the initial exhibitions, up to its current display at MUGEPA.
3D models of the right hemimandible (top) and the left scapula (bottom) of Palaeoloxodon antiquus.
Courtesy of 3DResearch srl.
Paleoart corner
3D reconstruction of the Rotonda elephant (top) and the Pleistocene paleoenvironment (bottom) from 700.000 years ago.
Courtesy of 3DResearch srl and Dawid Iurino.
Bibliography:
- Cavinato G.P., Petronio C. & Sardella R. (2001). The Mercure River Basin (Southern Italy):
Quaternary stratigraphy and large mammal biochronology. In Cavaretta G., Gioia P., Mussi M.
& Palombo M.R. (eds), The world of elephants, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche: 187-190. - Robustelli G., Russo Ermolli E., Petrosino P., Jicha B., Sardella R. & Donato P. (2014). Tectonic and
climatic control on geomorphological and sedimentary evolution of the Mercure basin,
southern Apennines, Italy. Geomorphology, 214: 423-435.
Credits and acknowledgments
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Paola Di Cuia of 3DReserach srl for sharing the multimedia content used on this page.
Reproduction, distribution, or any other use is prohibited without prior authorization from the rights holders.
We would also like to thank MUGEPA’s scientific director, Fabrizio Mollo, and Donatella Franzese of the Municipality of Rotonda for granting permission to use the material, as well as Luca Bellucci of the University of Florence and Angela Girone of the University of Bari for their support and collaboration.