Palaeoloxodon antiquus

The straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) is an extinct species of elephant. It lived in Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (781,000–30,000 years ago). 

Individuals reached up to 4–4.2 metres (13.1–13.8 ft) in height, with a weight estimated at 11.3–15 tonnes (11.1–14.8 long tons; 12.5–16.5 short tons). 

The straight-tusked elephant probably lived in small herds, flourishing in interglacial periods, when its range went as far north as Great Britain. Skeletons found in association with stone tools and wooden spears suggest they were scavenged and hunted by early humans, including Neanderthals. It is the ancestral species of most dwarf elephants that lived on islands in the Mediterranean.

Category:Elephants
Category:Extinct mammals