Prodeinotherium bavaricum

Overview

Prodeinotherium bavaricum was a proboscidean with striking tusks curving downward from the lower jaw. A partial skeleton from Unterzolling, Germany, reveals several bones of the jaw, neck, hands, and feet. Its tusks differ from familiar elephant tusks in both position and direction.^[1]

Key facts

The lectotype representing this animal’s name is a single lower premolar. In contrast, the Unterzolling material examined in 2002 comprises several bones belonging to one individual. A name-bearing reference and a specimen revealing the body in detail serve different roles.^[1]

Time and place

Middle Miocene fossils from Unterzolling in present-day Bavaria, Germany, have been studied. The Miocene as a whole spans approximately 23–5 million years ago. Layers and specimens in southern Germany reveal this proboscidean.^[1][2]

The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.

Size, form and skeleton

The front of the lower jaw is described as curving downward, with tusks strongly curved backward. Material from the same individual includes neck vertebrae, some trunk bones, metacarpals, and several leg and foot bones. Other body regions can be examined beyond the jaw’s striking curve.^[1]

The Unterzolling specimen has a lower tooth-row length of 310 mm from the premolars through the molars.^[7]

Habitat and reproduction

Where can the supporting structures of a large proboscidean be understood? Genus-level comparisons of Prodeinotherium examine forelimbs and a weight-bearing body framework. Unterzolling hand and foot material adds new information for comparing individual regions.^[1]

Fossil discovery

The partial Unterzolling skeleton was discovered in a gravel pit in 1977. A 2002 study described several bones, including the neck, hands, and feet, in detail. It compared skeletons of the same species and other deinotheres side by side.^[1]

References

1. Huttunen·Göhlich (2002) — The Prodeinotherium skeleton from Unterzolling
2. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
3. Huttunen·Göhlich (2002) — The Prodeinotherium skeleton from Unterzolling
4. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
5. Persico et al. (2015) — A well-preserved rhinoceros skull from Spinadesco
6. Billia (2008) — Rediscovery of a rhinoceros skull from the Irkutsk region
7. A partial skeleton of Prodeinotherium bavaricum (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the Middle Miocene of Unterzolling (Upper Freshwater Molasse, Germany)

Research questions

What different information comes from a lectotype consisting of one premolar and a partial skeleton containing several bones? One provides a reference for comparing names; the other adds material for examining body organization. Each fossil has a distinct role in research.^[1]

Observation

First find the tusks curving downward from the lower jaw. Then examine the positions of the neck, trunk, hands, and feet in sequence to compare the unusual jaw with body-supporting structures.^[1]