Mammal
Deinotherium giganteum
Deinotherium giganteumAlso known as Giant Deinothere, Terrible Beast
Deinotherium giganteum was a colossal prehistoric proboscidean that towered over modern elephants, distinguished by downward-curving chin tusks and a remarkably flexible neck. Its tapir-like lophodont molars and skeletal adaptations suggest it was a specialized browser, using its recurved lower tusks to strip fibrous tree bark or pull down high branches in dense woodlands. As cooling global climates drove forest contraction and spread vast, abrasive grasslands across Eurasia during the late Neogene, this massive browser succumbed to habitat loss.
PrehistoricHerbivore
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHerbivore (browsing leaves, twigs, and tree bark)
Predators
- Amphicyon giganteus
- Machairodus aphanistus
ThreatsClimatic aridification, cooling, and the replacement of forests by open grasslands
HabitatsDense temperate and subtropical deciduous woodlands and river valleys
Life span60–70 years
Classification
- OrderProboscidea
- FamilyDeinotheriidae
- GenusDeinotherium
- SpeciesDeinotherium giganteum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Extinct species; known only from the fossil record.
Responsible observation
- Fossil Viewing: Examine articulated skeletal mounts and lower jaw casts at major European natural history museums.
- Tusk Morphology: Look closely at the chin-rooted tusks, which show wear facets from stripping bark rather than digging.
Image unavailableNeighbor Neighbor Close Relative 
Close Relative Ra'ike (see also: de:Benutzer:Ra'ike) / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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