Anancus

The type species, Anancus arvernensis, was originally named in 1828 by Jean-Baptiste Croizet and Antoine Claude Gabriel Jobert as Mastodon arvernensis, based on remains found within the vicinity of the Puy de Dôme volcano in the Massif Central in central southern France, with the species name deriving from the Auvergne region of France where it was found. Anancus was subsequently named by Auguste Aymard in 1855 in a publication by M. J. Dorlhac, also based on remains found in the Massif Central region. The genus name Anancus derives from the Latin word ancus meaning "bent/curved" and the negative prefix "an-" with the intended meaning of "uncurved, straight" in reference to the shape of the tusks. Anancus is traditionally allocated to Gomphotheriidae, often as the only member of the subfamily Anancinae. Recently, some authors have excluded Anancus along with other tetralophodont gomphotheres from Gomphotheriidae, and regarded them as members of Elephantoidea instead. ==Description==

Two largely complete individuals of Anancus arvernensis reached shoulder heights of around , with a volumetric estimate suggesting a body mass of around , comparable to living African bush elephants. The tusks were largely straight and lacked enamel) and were slender, The tusks varied from projecting forward parallel to each other, to being outwardly divergent from each other, depending on the species. The skull is proportionally tall and short, with an elevated dome and an enlarged tympanic bulla. Unlike more primitive gomphotheres, the mandible was brevirostrine (shortened), and lacked lower tusks. The molars were typically tetralophodont (bearing four crests or ridges) but were pentalophodont in some species. The premolars were absent in all species other than A. kenyensis. On the upper molars, the posterior pretrite central conules were reduced, as were the anterior pretrite central conules on the lower molars. The pretrite and posttrite half-loph(id)s were dislocated from each other, resulting in the successive loph(id)s exhibiting an alternating pattern. == Diet and ecology ==

(background upper right), rhinoceros Stephanorhinus etruscus, the pig Sus minor and the bovine Leptobos stenometopon,'' alongside pikas, ptarmigans and grouse. Dietary preferences of Anancus varied between species. Dental microwear analysis of Anancus arvernensis specimens from the Early Pleistocene of Europe generally suggests that it was a browser, consuming twigs, bark, seeds and fruit, with a browsing diet also proposed for the Early Pliocene South African A. capensis. The East African late Miocene-early Pliocene A. kenyensis and Pliocene A. ultimus have individuals with varying browsing, grazing, and mixed feeding (both browsing and grazing) diets, with a grazing diet proposed for Anancus specimens from the Pliocene of India based on isotopic analysis. Anancus osiris from the Pliocene of North Africa is suggested to have been a mixed feeder with a large grass intake based on microwear. Anancus often coexisted alongside other proboscideans, such as the larger mastodon "Mammut" borsoni in Pliocene Europe. During the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene, Anancus coexisted with elephantids, including mammoths (Mammuthus rumanus and Mammuthus meridionalis in Europe and Mammuthus subplanifrons in South Africa), and Loxodonta cookei (in South Africa) who Anancus is suggested to have engaged in habitat and diet-based niche partitioning with. == Evolution ==

Anancus is suggested to have evolved from Tetralophodon or a Tetralophodon-like ancestor. The European A. arvernensis was the last surviving species, becoming extinct during the Early Pleistocene, around 2 million years ago, with its latest possible record being at Eastern Scheldt in the Netherlands around 1.6 million years ago. ==Gallery==

File: Anancus jaw.JPG| The jaw of Anancus, an extinct relative of the elephant File: Gomphotheriidae - Anancus arvernensis-000.JPG|Jaw of Anancus arvernensis from Quaternary of Italy File:Anancus arvernensis .JPG|Molar of Anancus arvernensis ==References==