Phiomia

Phiomia is an extinct genus of primitive proboscidean that lived in the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene epochs (around 37 to 30 million years ago) in North Africa, specifically in what is now Egypt. The name Phiomia is derived from the Faiyum Depression, the location where the first fossils were discovered.

Phiomia resembled a modern elephant in some ways but was significantly smaller, estimated to be around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) tall at the shoulder. Key distinguishing features included:

• Short Trunk: Phiomia possessed a short trunk, less developed than those of modern elephants.
• Short Tusks: It had two pairs of short tusks, one pair in the upper jaw and another in the lower jaw. The upper tusks were relatively small and pointed downward, while the lower tusks were also small and more shovel-shaped. It is believed these tusks were used for digging or scraping vegetation.
• Skull Structure: Its skull was elongated, and the nasal opening was positioned high on the skull, suggesting the presence of a trunk.
• Teeth: Phiomia's teeth were low-crowned and suited for browsing on soft vegetation.

Phiomia is considered an important genus in the evolutionary lineage of elephants, providing insights into the early development of elephant characteristics. It is thought to be ancestral to later proboscideans, including the modern elephants, although not a direct ancestor to any living species. The environment in which Phiomia lived was likely a semi-aquatic habitat, possibly swampy or near rivers, which would have provided the vegetation it consumed. The fossils of Phiomia have contributed significantly to our understanding of the origins and diversification of the elephant family.