![]() The closest living relative of the dwarf elephants is believed to be the African Forest Elephant. It is possible that the elephant's ancestors reached the islands from North Africa or Europe during the Pleistocene, before being cut off from the mainland by rising sea waters. ![]() This is an example of "insular dwarfism", where large animals gradually grow smaller whilst confined to a small environment, such as islands. Males were larger than females.Īll dwarf elephants were native to islands in the Mediterranean, with Palaeoloxodon falconeri fossils being found on Sicily and Malta. This makes it the smallest known species of elephant. Although most straight-tusked elephants shared similar body-shapes, Palaeoloxodon falconeri was one of eight species known as dwarf elephants and as a result were quite small, reaching heights of only 96.5cm (3.2ft) and weighing 305kg (672lbs). Elephants of this genus could be identified by their tusks, which had little curvature and were quite large for the size of the body. The Dwarf Sicilian elephant is a member of the genus Palaeoloxodon, or Straight-Tusked Elephants, which were native to Africa and Eurasia.
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