Palaeoloxodon: The Mighty Behemoth

Please enjoy this video examining the development of Palaeoloxodon, a Plio-Pleistocene genus of Proboscidean and the title holder for both largest and smallest elephant species.
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All copyrighted images/footage/music is protected under Fair Use for reasons of criticism, commentary, social satire, and education.
Papers referenced:
Palaeoloxodon Genetics: (July 2023). "A genetic glimpse of the Chinese straight-tusked elephants". Biology Letters. 19 (7). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0078. ISSN 1744-957X. PMC 10353889. PMID 37463654.
P. namadicus size: Larramendi, A. (2015). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 60. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014.
Namadicus Body Mass: Paul, Gregory S.; Larramendi, Asier (June 9, 2023). "Body mass estimate of Bruhathkayosaurus and other fragmentary sauropod remains suggest the largest land animals were about as big as the greatest whales". Lethaia. 56 (2): 1-11. doi:10.18261/let.56.2.5.
Dwarf Species: Athanassiou, Athanassios; van der Geer, Alexandra A.E.; Lyras, George A. (August 2019). "Pleistocene insular Proboscidea of the Eastern Mediterranean: A review and update". Quaternary Science Reviews. 218: 306-321. Bibcode:2019QSRv..218..306A. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.06.028. ISSN 0277-3791. S2CID 199107354.
P. antiquus Extinction: Rodriguez-Vidal, Joaquín (2020-07-02). "Tracking the last elephants in Europe during the Würm Pleniglacial: the importance of the Late Pleistocene aeolianite record in SW Iberia". Ichnos. 27 (3): 352-360. doi:10.1080/10420940.2020.1744586. ISSN 1042-0940. S2CID 216504699.

[@harsha1989able]

Finally... Long overdue... A video covering the genus of the largest terrestrial mammal ever...

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

Paraceratherium I'd tentatively say was on average larger than any from this genus. The size estimates for superlative Palaeoloxodon taxa is questionable.

[@FunkMastaMegaFlex]

​@@Dr.Ian-Plectthat's true. Also while the mammoth 🦣 is often smaller there was that mammoth found in Russia that is on display in a museum in Japan that weighed around 19 tons. The mammoth, the plax, and giraffe-rhino there were the three kings of land mammals.

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

@@FunkMastaMegaFlex Yeah, regardless of podium finishes, we can all agree they were all BIG!

[@19megamustaine85]

@@FunkMastaMegaFlex why is a russian mammoth on display in japan ? japanese paleontologist found it ?

[@loowick4074]

As far as paleo goes there's a very good chance it's size may have been over estimated. Mainly with people jumping on board with every new animal as the "biggest and bestest". Giga was considered to be larger than t rex for the longest time because it had a bigger skull.

[@K1ng_Squ1dZ]

"That still only counts as one" -gimli

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

Ah yes, The MVP of the Proboscidean Clade

[@extatixz]

Most Volumetric Pachyderm

[@Guys_its_me_Chris]

MVPs of mammalian if not Animals

[@daniell1483]

I hate how it seems like we just missed out on all the coolest animals to ever live by just a few thousand years. I remember being younger and people called lions the kings of Africa, and I always thought, "No, that's the Elephant." Put a lion up against an adult elephant of any kind, see what happens. And to live so long and probably being very intelligent as well! What an amazing family of animals.

[@floflo1645]

the saddest thing is that our ancestors killed them all.

[@jackstraw4222]

sure they were hunted in masses..but there was estimated populations of millions ,so they weren't totally wiped out by hunting alone...

[@chir0pter]

@@jackstraw4222 if you hunt more than the population can sustain it will go extinct over a few hundred to a few thousand years, you don't have to kill them all at once.

[@UnwantedGhost1-anz25]

​@@chir0pterExactly. I wonder if that sick game will ever stop? At least for the mega fauna still extant today? Since they're highly vulnerable to extinction.

[@martinlopez2816]

They say that about lions because of that piece of shit overrated Lion King movie. Had there been an Elephant King movie, they'd be referring to Elephants as the king of the jungle. Same way as how they exaggerate a gorilla's strength because of King Kong. Humans are fucking stupid 😤

[@bustavonnutz]

Both the smallest & largest trunkbois ever to exist, definitely sad that none of them made it to the modern day.

[@isaacslein6432]

If it makes you feel better, African forest elephants are closer related to straight tusked elephants than to African bush elephants, meaning that they shouldn't be called Loxodonta cyclotis anymore or the genus would be a paraphyletic group

[@bustavonnutz]

@@isaacslein6432 Or you could just place Straight-Tusked Elephants in Loxodonta so all living African Elephants are also Straight-Tusked Elephants. Checkmate phylogenists.

[@tryphania7356]

I'm glad they're not. Cool as they are, poachers would destroy the population quick like modern elephants already are. 😔

[@joepetto9488]

@@isaacslein6432paraphyly isn’t as bad as mainstream academia would have you believe. It is a more robust form of taxonomy but sacrifices general systemization in exchange for more practical and workable group classification.

[@connorflaherty175]

I’m sure that Mediterranean dwarf paleoloxodon skulls were the inspiration of the cyclopes in Greek mythology.

[@dudotolivier6363]

That indeed the most common accepted concensus !

[@bosertheropode5443]

There might be a depiction of a life specimen from a frescoe in Egypt.

[@gattycroc8073]

my favorite part about big animals like whales and proboscideans is that once they die their body become a host for all different types of scavengers. the Alamosaurus scene from the second season of Prehistoric Planet is something I want to see more of in paleo docs but with different large animals and scavengers.

[@SirPigeon420]

ur videos are always fun and interesting to watch, keep up the great work!

[@slappy8941]

Ur is an ancient city in Mesopotamia,

[@SirPigeon420]

@@slappy8941 "ur" is short for "your", but it's interesting that there's a ancient city named that!

[@Forestguardian]

P.namadicus is probably the only large mammal I believe could compete with large therapod dinosaurs. It's like a living wall of muscle and tusk, a herd of them would be practically untouchable to a lone tyrannosaurus. This is all hypothetical of course but it's something I think makes the extremity of P.namadicus even more amazing

[@philipveerman7526]

Apart from being separated by many millions of years. It is not hypothetical, as in it could never have happened.

[@harsha1989able]

A lone Paleoxolodon Namadicus would steamroll a Tyrannosaurus Rex...

[@marlonrobalino]

​@harsha1989able maybe not steamroll but would mostly come out on top no doubt. Though a pair of trex would most likely take it down.

[@jackstraw4222]

deinotherium and stepp mammoth were big as well both reaching up to 15ft high and 12-15 tonnes based on the largest specimens...

[@martinlopez2816]

​@@harsha1989able what about Gigantosaurus vs Palaeoloxodon?

[@almusquotch9872]

interesting video. I'm surprised how little I've heard of paleoloxodon given how charismatic they are.

[@dudotolivier6363]

It's really crazy that the genus that host the biggest elephant of all time, of all its own family and of all the different true elephants families, also host the smallest of it and them ! P. namadicus and P. falconery are really two opposite extremes. One is a badass tough guy, a big boi, an invincible and unstoppable force, and a beast that is better to not bother. The other is a tiny, small, cute animal that would not hurt a fly.

[@dudotolivier6363]

Like for your video about Homotherium, the Scimitar Cat, this one exploring one single genus instead of a whole order or family still good to show how incredible and successfull a single member of a group of animal can be of its own ! Like having numerous and diverses species, a wide range, and several diets following locals biomes and competition ! I think that such kind of videos are good to have time to time. :)

[@MattttG3]

Please don’t ever change the intro music to your videos ! I always love it and all you post thank you brother

[@MattttG3]

Also I as a simple American love when you do conversions for us sometimes lol but I kinda have them memorized at this point in a round-about kinda way

[@tm43977]

The straight tusk elephant!!!

[@nicelydunwell5681]

Bring it back! Bring it back! Bring it back!

[@jaredmn8580]

They must've been a sight to behold for early humans.

[@cro-magnoncarol4017]

"The Elephant in the room can't be that big." The Elephant in the room: 14:17

[@klee4216]

i wish i was a human of 10.000 years ago just to pet the little elephant of the meditterean islands 😽

[@Calvin.of.Martin.Street]

Please consider doing a video on the Deinotheres.

[@user-bk5rl6rp3t]

An elephant that equal T. rex sweet but we won’t see a repeat of elephants evolution

[@harsha1989able]

It was way bigger than the T-Rex...

[@K1ng_Squ1dZ]

A palaeoloxodon would ragdoll a t rex

[@Astrapionte]

@@K1ng_Squ1dZnot ragdollll 😂😂

[@Lamacetus]

More like high diff a T. rex

[@dom9300]

mid diff@@Lamacetus

[@tyrannotherium7873]

One of the largest land mammals that ever walk the Earth hard to believe that an elephant like that is the size of a small sauropod

[@dom9300]

the largest

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

@@dom9300 Paraceratherium I'd tentatively say was on average larger than any from this genus. The size estimates for superlative Palaeoloxodon taxa is questionable.

[@jackstraw4222]

diploducus was 11 tons and apatosaurus est as low as 18 tons...

[@tyrannotherium7873]

@@dom9300 we don’t know if it’s the largest

[@tyrannotherium7873]

@@jackstraw4222 how do you know that?

[@malindudissanayake7458]

Amazing and insightful video. Would just like to say Loxodonta Cyclotis is actually doing quite a bit better than mentioned in the video with their population standing at a total of 140,000 individuals with the West African country of Gabon alone harboring around 95,110 individuals as of a recent 2021 study. Much higher and better figure than 30,000

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

Loxodonta (c)yclotis

[@flioink]

It's a shame we don't have dwarf elephants anymore. On the other hand - you know some a$$hole would keep 5 of them in their apartment(likely in Florida) if they still existed.

[@afunnytheropod]

You would see so many be kept like that or someone would try to keep one in a backyard

[@flioink]

@@afunnytheropod Yes, unfortunately.

[@EternalEmperorofZakuul]

Imagine they were brought over to the Americas as pets, eventually escaped ans became feral, and eventually took over the niches left by their larger cousins

[@flioink]

@@EternalEmperorofZakuul That would be a total W

[@joakos1122]

Fantastic content Dr.Polaris!!

[@mayday6916]

My goodness! I didn't know about these huge elephants! Imagine seeing a four and a half meter tall one coming toward you... 😲 Thank you for a very interesting and educational video! 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

[@Svensk7119]

"Pint-sized pachyderm". Love it!

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

Super fascinating!

[@Year2047]

Yay. New Dr. Polaris video

[@shadowdancer9830]

Applause, to the fabulous Dr. Polaris!!!

[@PlainsPup]

Just think of it: giant elephants like P. namadicus, as well the giant rhinos of Paraceratherium, were in the same weight class as mid-sized sauropods like Diplodocus and Brontosaurus. Mind-blowing. At the same time, it's a shame cute little island dwarf elephants went extinct (likely due to human overhunting); at their size, people might have actually been able to keep them alongside cattle, horses, and other livestock. As others have said, what makes Pleistocene megafauna simultaneously fascinating and tragic is that they are so familiar yet so strange. It's frustrating that we just missed them, geologically speaking. But they are my favorite prehistoric creatures to study and ponder.

[@mbvoelker8448]

Yes. It wouldn't have taken much difference in history for us to be ranching little elephants as well as cattle and horses.

[@19megamustaine85]

brontosaurus was 30 tonnes and p. namadicus was 20 tones max, you heard the video ?

[@PlainsPup]

@@19megamustaine85Brontosaurus used to be a synonym for Apatosaurus, but they have been differentiated for some 20 years. Under the current nomenclature, Brontosaurus was smaller than Apatosaurus.

[@19megamustaine85]

@@PlainsPup ok,you are right ,30 years ago brachiosaurus was the biggest dinosaur ewer now its what 5th ?

[@jackstraw4222]

deinotherium and the stepp mammoths are really close in size and should get mentioned as they reach 13-15tons in the largest specimens 14-15ft high...

[@pbh9195]

I don't know if you made a video about the deinotheriums but love to see one

[@dudotolivier6363]

Nope. He don't made one yet.

[@Astrapionte]

I’m here for the Proboscidean vids!! Please do more (even though you’ve covered a lot of em)!

[@teawrecks1243]

We need a movie about a Paleoloxodon namadicus and a Paleoloxodon falconeri who become best friends

[@thedukeofchutney468]

Who hop! One of my favorite animals! Side note I really like how the thumbnail shows paeloloxadon with large ears as it was more closely related to the African elephant.

[@markcobuzzi826]

Sometimes, though, I do wonder if the African elephant species’ larger ears was mainly an adaptation for the hot climate, which may be less needed in Eurasia. If that’s the case, then I wonder in turn if the Eurasian Palaeoloxodon species’ ears would get smaller like the modern Indian elephant’s, through convergent evolution.

[@thedukeofchutney468]

@markcobuzzi826 Much of Namacidu’s range would be in hot semi arid regions of the Middle East so I’d argue that it it would likely have similar adaptations.

[@AntoekneeDetaecho]

Fascinating overview, it had passed me by just how diverse this group was, not having quite the same popularity as the mammoth somehow.

[@johnh539]

Excellent as always .I'm convinced that "Dr." is not just a stage name.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Why did youtube put a climate change box on this video Nice to see you do this video, having concluding the elephants, it's somewheat interesting given that long ago you inspired my own elephant video series

[@markcobuzzi826]

Thanks again for another informative and insightful episode. I have been wanting to see you do one on Palaeoloxodon elephant species for a while. As I listened to your commentary, I was reminded of something counterintuitive I once noticed, then wondered if you too found the following to be paradoxical yourself. I find it odd that Palaeoloxodon’s various species are grouped under their own genus name, despite Loxodonta cyclotis being more related to all of them than it is to Loxodonta africana. Due to this, I would normally expect Loxodonta to adequately encompass species like namadicus, falconeri, etc. as their genus name too, in the same way that birds are technically considered a subgroup of reptiles, rather than a distinct clade from them. Does the custom of assigning genus/species names still operate on Linnaean conventions, where sufficiently different adaptations and outward traits can warrant a separate genus name? That is, despite the species still logically falling within a preexisting genus per monophyletic conventions?

[@Fede_99]

Yesterday I was thinking that Euplerids are very interesting and deserve more attention. So I can't wait to see your video about them

[@soudino2723]

Finally, a video about my favourite clade of probosidians

[@Beryllahawk]

Fascinating to understand how long elephantids have been around as it were, and even more so to really get the context of how "recent" these massive creatures were wandering around. And in Europe no less! The idea of an elephant wandering around neolithic Germany is mind boggling. (Also possibly inaccurate but still!)

[@daxxonjabiru428]

Mornin' Doc!

[@rafaelcalderabebber1198]

Such a coil and diverse genus

[@bartolomeorizzo]

Palaeoloxodon let's goooo! I'll wait for Vishnuichtys and other unknown cenozoic animals

[@faolitaruna]

The richness of the fossil history of elephants was beyond my imagination.

[@Machingonjoe]

Peace and love

[@AnnoyingNewsletters]

I started watching a different video, but Algorythmo thought I should watch this one first 🐘

[@maozilla9149]

nice

[@dynojackal1911]

Please return to your Alter-Earth series. At least finish the Oligocene entries in video form. Would you consider doing a video on Myotragus?

[@lightman3581]

Dr Polaris We wanna see a return of your speculative evolution series on KZbin

[@Oinker-Sploinker]

This thing could for sure beat 90% of dino's head on

[@chir0pter]

never knew falconeri was such an interesting little beast. Was it the smartest elephant? Neoteny is how humans became so brainy...

[@DeinoWolfhybridhero]

As passionate visitor of Malta and Crete I never miss to visit their Natural history museums where I ever can admire the dwarf elephants fossils. In Malta you can visit also the site of Ghar Dalam (Dalam cave) one of the richest fossil site of the Mediterranean

[@HassanMohamed-jy4kk]

Hey Dr.Polaris, right after the evolution and the history of the Euplerids, why don’t you also get to make a suggestion to create the KZbin Videos Shows about the evolution and the history of the Extinct Prehistoric Giant Predatory Birds called the Teratorns in the next couple of weeks to think about that one coming up next?!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍👍

[@erichtomanek4739]

Thanks for a very interesting and informative video. I hope one day fossils of a Twin-Trunked Elephant species are found, one trunk for each nostril.

[@jackstraw4222]

eofauna have a 1/35 paleoxodon figure in their collection,its worth checking ,as its accurate and a good size collectible...they also have some other ancient elephants in their collection store...

[@professorsimosuchus7954]

Video number 6 of asking dr polaris to do a video on mesonychians (great video btw)

[@kianhoo9197]

Now i really want a tiny elephant

[@andythegoatman694]

I love the mammoths but im glad to see the straight tusked paleoloxodon is getting some love to in recent years

[@jackstraw4222]

i never knew about it until eofauna mentioned it as the largest elephant based on solid evidence and a model figure of it as well being released back then...

[@connorhofstee9006]

can you do a video a Bison Latifrons there are very few videos on this prehistoric bison and i would love to know more about it

[@dudotolivier6363]

The genus Bison is incredibly successfull and long live, with a lot of diverse species within it. Yeah a video on it would be nice !

[@EnneaIsInterested]

Where do you source your music? Great video!

[@Crakinator]

I thought you meant Paleoloxodon the 2-foot tall island dwarf elephant. Natural selection is one hell of a drug.

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

Make a vídeo about the glyptodonts

[@t-r-e-x452]

I noticed you have two deleted videos in your prehistory playlist. I assume one is about Gomphotheres. What's the other?

[@Grant_Scarboro]

17:55 THE FOSSA! I also wonder if the fitoaty will be covered in the video after that?

[@rursus8354]

Yay, Euplerids!

[@Ektor-yj4pu]

Small elephants still exist in the Borneo although they aren't very tiny like those little Paleoxodons.

[@saurabhpatil3654]

That Namadicus one is the Largest mammal to ever walked on this god's green planet Earth. Even bigger than that old relative of rhinos

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

Paraceratherium I'd tentatively say was on average larger than any from this genus. The size estimates for superlative Palaeoloxodon taxa is questionable. And your god is mythology.

[@saurabhpatil3654]

@@Dr.Ian-Plect lol my god was real. I'm no Hindu, I'm a Buddhist. Also that elephant was the largest mammal on this planet, bigger than that rhino relative. Btw, your god followed my God.

[@soybasedjeremy3653]

​@@Dr.Ian-PlectWay to assume and etc. Paleoloxodon Namadicus actually might be larger.

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

@@soybasedjeremy3653 "Way to assume and etc." - well done saying nothing "Paleoloxodon Namadicus actually might be larger." - eh, well done merely stating the subject matter. And, it's Palaeoloxodon namadicus, not Paleoloxodon Namadicus -------------------- A pathetic, useless comment of; a) no point made b) inanely stating the subject of contention c) getting the name wrong

[@soybasedjeremy3653]

@@Dr.Ian-Plect Cry me a river.

[@calebcheney291]

where did you find the music?

[@terrionrhodes7704]

Hey dr. Pelorus after next episode about the euplerids Can you episode about the jeholornithidae

[@terrionrhodes7704]

It's because I really want to learn about these proto birds or Dino birds

[@terrionrhodes7704]

It's because I really want to learn about these proto birds or Dino birds 🤔🧐

[@UnwantedGhost1-anz25]

Would they be hunted to near extinction if they were around as big as they were today?

[@christosvoskresye]

I'm pretty sure they went extinct during the War of the Ring.

[@dudotolivier6363]

The way and fact that its tusks were mostly straights is what have gived the genus' vernacular/civil name of "Straight-Tusked Elephant". With P. antiquus (Steppe Straight-Tusked Elephant), P. namadicus (Asian Straight-Tusked Elephant), and P. falconeri, being the three most famous species known of this animal ! The first to have lived in Europe, the second to be one of the biggest mammal, Cenozoïc's animal and herbivore of all time, and the last to e the smallest (dwarf) elephant of all time.

[@elvinmah165]

Basically Palaeoloxodon was the biggest elephant to ever live and could beat even dinosaurs.

[@Sirdilophosaurusthethird2.0]

Big boi

[@RWDOWNPOUR]

How heavy was it

[@takenname8053]

New biggest mammal!

[@Astrapionte]

Also, I cannot find the meaning of the African Forest Elephant’s specific name, _cyclotis_ . Any idea of what _cyclotis_ means?

[@eljanrimsa5843]

round ear

[@Astrapionte]

@@eljanrimsa5843 Really? Ok! Thanks

[@MrBargill]

Mother Nature: This Template should be eternal...................

[@1998topornik]

Another amazing genus of pachyderms lost to time.

[@heinrichharkonen2084]

Now do evolution of viverrids and mustelids

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

Imagine Hannibal trying to bringt P. namadicus over the Alps...

[@afatpossum2586]

Oh the crimes I would commit to revive P. falconeri

[@G1Grimlock94]

The largest Prehistoric Elephant

[@user-sb9bi8kn7z]

I wish elephants live in Europe

[@concept5631]

0:29

[@raidarthegunwizard4520]

The thumbnail... Josuke elephant

[@Don-ds3dy]

supposedly that UN link will reduce the popularity of your video.

[@AdamWingard_Official]

So who just realised palaeoloxodon is as tall as a giraffe???

[@AdamWingard_Official]

That name is a mouthfull imma just call it palaexodon as i always have lol

[@Achilles_Heelys]

:o)

[@chheinrich8486]

Deinotherium Next,

[@chir0pter]

9:10 lol it was modern human hunting, it always is _edit_ 11:40 too. no need for special pleading, it was humans, wildlife was not equipped for modern humans just like falconeri was not equipped for cave lions

[@TeethToothman]

🫀🖤🫀

[@platinumwarrior1309]

So why couldn’t mammals achieve the same size as large sauropods? Given the same environment/opportunity wouldn’t it be possible? Modern and extinct Whales along with ancient marine reptiles also achieved this size but they were in the ocean.

[@afk2167]

The likely reason is reproduction method. Most mammals except monotremes, give brth to live young. This tales alot more energy and nutrition than laying eggs which is an issue beyond a certain size. Xihout enough food to fuel live birth at large sauropods sizes. Mammals stayed dmaller on land

[@afk2167]

Whales got big due to less pressure from gravity and a efficient filter feeding stratagy

[@markcobuzzi826]

Adding to what afk2167 said, another possible factor may have been how saurischian dinosaurs (which includes sauropods and theropods) have a system of air sacs along sections of their vertebrae. This can help to lighten the animal’s skeleton, without losing too much structural support. So it is thought that this additional factor could have given sauropods an upper size limit far greater than that of any land mammal or ornithischian dinosaur (the largest of those two groups respectively being either P. namadicus or Paraceratherium and Shantungosaurus). On a similar note, I have wondered if such an adaptation could have also helped theropods to reach far greater sizes than any other clades’s biggest land predators (like a T. rex vs. Fasolasuchus or Arctotherium). That is, even though T. rex is still dwarfed by some land herbivores in the mammalian and ornithischian clades, needless to say.

[@noyb12345]

22 tons is a lot of elephant 💀😂

[@jackstraw4222]

diplodocus was only 11tons and its not small by any means...

[@RWDOWNPOUR]

Could pron rekk a rex

[@dudotolivier6363]

Stegodonts ? Gomphoteres ? Deinotheres ? Some plans to made them in a coming future ? Because these elephants (except Deinotheres who weren't true elephants) are as interesting to deep into !

[@Dylan-Hooton]

When are you going to return to cryptid videos?

[@jonathanwells223]

Oh look, a climate change warning. Thanks KZbin, very cool!

[@martyinsumatra]

Great video but the climate change conspiracy theory banner by KZbin ruined it.