The earliest elephants out of Africa: Taxonomy and taphonomy of proboscidean remains from Bethlehem

摘要: Abstract The bone-bearing beds of Bethlehem were excavated by Gardner and Bate in the late 1930s, yielding an important Plio-Pleistocene faunal assemblage. In 1950s, Hooijer revised fauna described elephant remains, including a large tusk, mandible, several molars some post-cranial elements, identified him as Archidiskodon cf. planifrons . Recent preparation Computed Tomography has given new insights into early remains from – both terms their anatomy post-depositional deformation. This includes two further mandibles, distorted almost totally obscured sediment, whose morphology been revealed. material studied detail compared morphometrically with key taxa Siwalik Elephas European Mammuthus rumanus cannot definitively distinguish between or , but evolutionary grade, are most conformable primitive mammoth intermediate African M. subplanifrons M. rumanus. Conversely largely complete tusk shows none spiral twisting associated is more Elephas. possibility that elephantid represented deposit be discounted, consistent wide size variation seen among postcranial bones. These together others recently described, represent known elephantines out Africa.