Superb Palaeoloxodon antiquus Molar Fossil

Description: This beautiful and striking Palaeoloxodon antiquus molar comes directly from the Rhineland region of west central Germany. The preservation is remarkable and natural mineral replacement processes in fossilization resulted in a color spectrum of light tan/brown hues. At 5 lbs 2 oz (2.309 kg), it’s as heavy, solid and dense as the rock it became since tens of thousands of years ago when humans were still roving bands of hunter-gatherers. There are even small pebbles lodged between the nerve roots of the specimen. This molar has not been subjected to any chemical preservation processes. Therefore it is totally natural with no unpleasant chemical smells or an artificial surface sheen. You may be assured the associates at FOSSILMALL guarantee this to be a premium grade mammoth molar.

The Straight-tusked Elephant (Elephas antiquus or Palaeoloxodon antiquus) is an extinct species of elephant closely related to the living Asian Elephant. It inhabited Europe during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (781,000–11,550 years before present). Some experts regard the smaller Asian species E. namadicus, as a variant or subspecies of this one. The creature was 3.70 m (12 ft) tall and had long, slightly upward-curving tusks. E. antiquus's legs were slightly longer than those of modern elephants. It is suggested that this elephant had a 80 cm long tongue that could be projected a short distance from the mouth to grasp leaves and grasses. With this tongue along with a flexible trunk, straight-tusked elephants could graze or browse on Pleistocene foliage about 8 meters above ground. Straight-tusked elephants lived in small herds of about 5 to 15 individuals. They preferred warm conditions and flourished in the interglacial periods during the Ice Ages, spreading from continental Europe to Great Britain during the warmer periods. It is assumed that they preferred wooded environments. During colder periods the species migrated south. It became extinct in Britain by the beginning of the last ice age, about 115,000 years ago. Eventually it was replaced by the mammoth.