The first Tetralophodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea) cranium from Africa

ABSTRACT

We describe a virtually complete proboscidean cranium and other remains from the late Miocene of Skoura near Ouarzazate, Morocco, assigning them to a derived species of Tetralophodon. African finds of this genus are scarce and are of additional interest due to their potential importance for elephantid phylogeny. The Skoura material adds significantly to the African record of non-anancine tetralophodonts and to the Neogene proboscidean record of northwestern Africa.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the Leakey Foundation, which provided funds for the 2013 survey and excavations at Skoura; the University of Casablanca, which financed the preparation of the cranium; B. Tahiri, who allowed us to work in his museum in Erfoud; and L. Cazes, for his help with the 3D reconstruction. G.M. is grateful to J. Hooker and A. Currant (Natural History Museum, London, U.K. [NHMUK]) and I. Bassamakov and O. Todorov (Regional Natural History Museum, Plovdiv, Bulgaria) for access to collections; NHMUK and the financial support of the European Union for a visit to London (SYNTHESYS GB-TAF-1641) are gratefully acknowledged. The manuscript greatly benefited from comments and corrections by editors L. Werdelin and F. Bibi and by reviewers J. Saarinen and W. Sanders.