Cyprus dwarf elephant (SciiFii)

The Cyprus dwarf elephant (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) is a species of elephant that that originally lived on the island of Cyprus during the Late Pleistocene until around 11,000 years BC and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Cyprus to help boost biodiversity. The species is presumably derived from the extinct, larger P. xylophagou from the late Middle Pleistocene who reached the island presumably during a Pleistocene glacial maximum when low sea levels allowed a low probability sea crossing between Cyprus and Asia Minor, most likely between the Karpas peninsula and Adana Province. During subsequent periods of isolation the population adapted within the evolutionary mechanisms of insular dwarfism. The fully grown Cyprus dwarf elephant weighs no more than 200 kg (440 lb) and have a maximum height of 1.40 m (4.59 ft). Like all elephants, it is a herbivore that mainly feeds on grasses, leaves, shrubs, and fruits. It is a social herd-dwelling animal, with adult females as well as young males and females living together, which are leaded by the matriarch (female leader), but bull male Cyprus dwarf elephants live in mostly solitary lives unless it is breeding seasons, when males have musth and males find suitable females to mate with. The conservation status of the Cyprus dwarf elephant is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Cyprus dwarf elephant's tolerance to many human activities, as well as invasive competitors such as goats, sheep, etc, and even predators such as feral dogs, feral cats (on calves), etc, possibly due to SciiFii tinkering with the Cyprus dwarf elephant's genes to help the dwarf elephant deal with invaders.
Category:Animals
Category:SciiFii
Category:Mammals
Category:Cenozoic Park