Of the three, the genus _Deinotherium_
is much the most abnormal in its characters; so much so, that
good authorities regard it as really being one of the Sea-cows
(_Sirenia_)--though this view has been rendered untenable by
the discovery of limb-bones which can hardly belong to any other
animal, and which are distinctly Proboscidean in type. The most
celebrated skull of the Deinothere (fig. 246) is one which was
exhumed from the Upper Miocene deposits of Epplesheim, in
Hesse-Darmstadt, in the year 1836. This skull was four and a half
feet in length, and indicated an animal larger than any existing
species of Elephant. The upper jaw is destitute of incisor or
canine teeth, but is furnished on each side with five molars,
which are opposed to a corresponding series of grinding teeth in
the lower jaw. No canines are present in the lower jaw; but the
front portion of the jaw is abruptly bent downwards, and carries
two huge tusk-like incisor teeth, which are curved downwards and
backwards, and the use of which is rather problematical. Not
only does the Deinothere occur in Europe, but remains belonging
to this genus have also been detected in the Siwalik Hills, in
India.
[Illustration: Fig. 246.--Skull of _Deinotherium giganteum_, greatly
reduced. From the Upper Micene of Germany.]
The true Elephants (_Elephas_) do not appear to have existed
during the Miocene period in Europe, but several species have
been detected in the Upper Miocene deposits of the Siwalik Hills,
in India.
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