Elephantida is a group that contains the elephants as well as their extinct relatives, the gomphotheres, choerolophodontids, amebelodontids ("shovel tuskers") and the stegodontids. The following cladogram shows the relationships among elephantidans, based on hyoid characteristics:[1]

Elephantida
Temporal range: Earliest Miocene - Present, 23–0 Ma
Gomphotherium
Gomphotherium skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Clade: Elephantimorpha
Clade: Elephantida
Tassy & Shoshani, 1997
Subgroups[1][2]
Elephantimorpha

Mammutidae (Mastodons)

Elephantida

Gomphotheriidae (Gomphotheres)

Elephantoidea

Stegodontidae (Stegodontids)

Elephantidae

References edit

  1. ^ a b Shoshani, J.; Ferretti, M. P.; Lister, A. M.; Agenbroad, L. D.; Saegusa, H.; Mol, D.; Takahashi, K. (2007). "Relationships within the Elephantinae using hyoid characters". Quaternary International. 169–170: 174–185. Bibcode:2007QuInt.169..174S. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.02.003.
  2. ^ Mothé, Dimila; Ferretti, Marco P.; Avilla, Leonardo S. (12 January 2016). "The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha". PLOS ONE. 11 (1): e0147009. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1147009M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147009. PMC 4710528. PMID 26756209.