129-546: Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), the African forest elephant ( L. cyclotis ), and the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea ; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons . Distinctive features of elephants include
258-543: A pitch accent . In Modern Greek, all vowels and consonants are short. Many vowels and diphthongs once pronounced distinctly are pronounced as /i/ ( iotacism ). Some of the stops and glides in diphthongs have become fricatives , and the pitch accent has changed to a stress accent . Many of the changes took place in the Koine Greek period. The writing system of Modern Greek, however, does not reflect all pronunciation changes. The examples below represent Attic Greek in
387-408: A Y. The female's clitoris may be 40 cm (16 in). The vulva is found lower than in other herbivores, between the hind legs instead of under the tail. Determining pregnancy status can be difficult due to the animal's large belly. The female's mammary glands occupy the space between the front legs, which puts the suckling calf within reach of the female's trunk. Elephants have a unique organ,
516-534: A brilliant blue-green light when stimulated. The largest lancelet is the European lancelet ( Branchiostoma lanceolatum ) "primitive fish". It can grow up to 6 cm (2.5 in) long. The largest species of echinoderm in terms of bulk is probably the starfish species Thromidia gigas , of the class Asteroidea , which reaches a weight of over 6 kg (13 lb), but it might be beaten by some giant sea cucumbers such as Thelenota anax . However, at
645-422: A broad, rounded branchial sac with gill slits. Along the side of the branchial sac runs the endostyle , which produces mucus filters. Water is moved through the gill slits into the centre of the cylinder by cilia pulsating rhythmically. Plankton and other food particles are caught in mucus filters in the processes as the colony is propelled through the water. P. atlanticum is bioluminescent and can generate
774-445: A day. Elephants tend to stay near water sources. They have morning, afternoon, and nighttime feeding sessions. At midday, elephants rest under trees and may doze off while standing. Sleeping occurs at night while the animal is lying down. Elephants average 3–4 hours of sleep per day. Both males and family groups typically move no more than 20 km (12 mi) a day, but distances as far as 180 km (112 mi) have been recorded in
903-502: A faster gait similar to running. In walking, the legs act as pendulums, with the hips and shoulders moving up and down while the foot is planted on the ground. The fast gait does not meet all the criteria of running, since there is no point where all the feet are off the ground, although the elephant uses its legs much like other running animals, and can move faster by quickening its stride. Fast-moving elephants appear to 'run' with their front legs, but 'walk' with their hind legs and can reach
1032-525: A fifth major dialect group, or it is Mycenaean Greek overlaid by Doric, with a non-Greek native influence. Regarding the speech of the ancient Macedonians diverse theories have been put forward, but the epigraphic activity and the archaeological discoveries in the Greek region of Macedonia during the last decades has brought to light documents, among which the first texts written in Macedonian , such as
1161-448: A height of 2.8 m (9.2 ft) and weigh over 156 kg (344 lb). A mass of 200 kg (440 lb) has been cited for the common ostrich but no wild ostriches of this weight have been verified. Eggs laid by the ostrich can weigh 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) and are the largest eggs in the world today. The largest bird in the fossil record may be the extinct elephant birds (Aepyornithidae) of Madagascar, which were related to
1290-490: A human brain. It is the largest of all terrestrial mammals. While the elephant brain is larger overall, it is proportionally smaller than the human brain . At birth, an elephant's brain already weighs 30–40% of its adult weight. The cerebrum and cerebellum are well developed, and the temporal lobes are so large that they bulge out laterally. Their temporal lobes are proportionally larger than those of other animals, including humans. The throat of an elephant appears to contain
1419-403: A length of 11 meters (36 ft) and a body mass of 10 metric tons (11 short tons) However, the largest reptiles, period, were the shastasaurids , specifically Ichthyotitan , which approached lengths rivalling to exceeding those of a blue whale , at around 26–35 m (85–115 ft) in length. The following is a list of the largest living reptile species ranked by average weight, which
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#17327660710511548-470: A length of 9 m (30 ft). The largest tunicate is Synoicum pulmonaria , found at depths of 20 and 40 metres (66 and 131 ft), and are up to 14 centimetres (6 in) in diameter. It is also present in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, around the coasts of Greenland and Newfoundland, but is less common here than in the east, and occurs only at depths between 10 and 13 metres (33 and 43 ft). The largest thaliacean , Pyrosoma atlanticum ,
1677-779: A long proboscis called a trunk, tusks , large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile , bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa , South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs , forests, deserts, and marshes . They are herbivorous , and they stay near water when it
1806-447: A maximum span of 63 cm (25 in), Thromidia gigas is quite a bit shorter than some other echinoderms. The longest echinoderm known is the conspicuous sea cucumber Synapta maculata , with a slender body that can extend up to 3 m (9.8 ft). In comparison, the biggest sea star is the brisingid sea star Midgardia xandaros , reaching a span of 1.4 m (4.6 ft), despite being quite slender. Evasterias echinosoma
1935-529: A more conservative weight of 4.87 tonnes to 7.02 tonnes for the adult taxon, with an average body mass of 5.88 tonnes. The largest carnivorous synapsid was Anteosaurus at 5–6 m (16–20 ft) and 500–600 kg (1,100–1,300 lb). The largest living reptile , a representative of the order Crocodilia , is the saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) of Southern Asia and Australia, with adult males being typically 3.9–5.5 m (13–18 ft) long. The largest confirmed saltwater crocodile on record
2064-545: A pouch where it can store water for later use. The larynx of the elephant is the largest known among mammals. The vocal folds are anchored close to the epiglottis base. When comparing an elephant's vocal folds to those of a human, an elephant's are proportionally longer, thicker, with a greater cross-sectional area. In addition, they are located further up the vocal tract with an acute slope. The heart of an elephant weighs 12–21 kg (26–46 lb). Its apex has two pointed ends, an unusual trait among mammals. In addition,
2193-550: A prefix /e-/, called the augment . This was probably originally a separate word, meaning something like "then", added because tenses in PIE had primarily aspectual meaning. The augment is added to the indicative of the aorist, imperfect, and pluperfect, but not to any of the other forms of the aorist (no other forms of the imperfect and pluperfect exist). The two kinds of augment in Greek are syllabic and quantitative. The syllabic augment
2322-414: A protective crust. Elephants have difficulty releasing heat through the skin because of their low surface-area-to-volume ratio , which is many times smaller than that of a human. They have even been observed lifting up their legs to expose their soles to the air. Elephants only have sweat glands between the toes, but the skin allows water to disperse and evaporate, cooling the animal. In addition, cracks in
2451-557: A single colony of the genus Porites can be over 10 m (33 ft), even though the individual polyps are quite small. In 2024, the largest ever was found off Malaulalo island in the Solomon Islands, a clonal colony of Pavona clavus over 32 by 34 meters — the size of two basketball courts. The largest known species of sea sponge is the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta . These massively built sponges can reach 2.4 m (8 ft) in height and can be about
2580-535: A single species, Loxodonta africana , but molecular studies have affirmed their status as separate species. Mammoths ( Mammuthus ) are nested within living elephants as they are more closely related to Asian elephants than to African elephants. Another extinct genus of elephant, Palaeoloxodon , is also recognised, which appears to have close affinities with African elephants and to have hybridised with African forest elephants. Over 180 extinct members of order Proboscidea have been described. The earliest proboscideans,
2709-478: A specimen measuring 27.6 metres (91 ft), whereas longer ones, up to 33 metres (108 ft), have been recorded but not weighed. It is estimated that this individual could have a mass of 250 tonnes or more. The longest non- colonial animal is the lion's mane jellyfish (37 m, 120 ft). In 2023, paleontologists estimated that the extinct whale Perucetus , discovered in Peru, may have outweighed
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#17327660710512838-542: A strong Northwest Greek influence, and can in some respects be considered a transitional dialect, as exemplified in the poems of the Boeotian poet Pindar who wrote in Doric with a small Aeolic admixture. Thessalian likewise had come under Northwest Greek influence, though to a lesser degree. Pamphylian Greek , spoken in a small area on the southwestern coast of Anatolia and little preserved in inscriptions, may be either
2967-436: A strong grasp. The flexibility of the trunk is aided by the numerous wrinkles in the skin. The African elephants have two finger-like extensions at the tip of the trunk that allow them to pluck small food. The Asian elephant has only one and relies more on wrapping around a food item. Asian elephant trunks have better motor coordination . The trunk's extreme flexibility allows it to forage and wrestle other elephants with it. It
3096-657: A top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). At this speed, most other quadrupeds are well into a gallop, even accounting for leg length. Spring-like kinetics could explain the difference between the motion of elephants and other animals. The cushion pads expand and contract, and reduce both the pain and noise that would come from a very heavy animal moving. Elephants are capable swimmers: they can swim for up to six hours while completely waterborne, moving at 2.1 km/h (1 mph) and traversing up to 48 km (30 mi) continuously. The brain of an elephant weighs 4.5–5.5 kg (10–12 lb) compared to 1.6 kg (4 lb) for
3225-510: A vowel or /n s r/ ; final stops were lost, as in γάλα "milk", compared with γάλακτος "of milk" (genitive). Ancient Greek of the classical period also differed in both the inventory and distribution of original PIE phonemes due to numerous sound changes, notably the following: The pronunciation of Ancient Greek was very different from that of Modern Greek . Ancient Greek had long and short vowels ; many diphthongs ; double and single consonants; voiced, voiceless, and aspirated stops ; and
3354-483: A weight of 13 kilograms (29 lb) and a carapace width of up to 46 centimetres (18 in). It is the only species in the genus Pseudocarcinus . Males reach more than twice the size of females. At a length of up to 40 centimetres (16 in), Lysiosquillina maculata is the largest mantis shrimp in the world. Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish ( Astacopsis gouldi ) 5 kilograms (11 lb) in weight and over 80 centimetres (31 in) long have been known in
3483-411: A wingspan up to 5.5 m (18 ft), a length of up to 1.25 m (4.1 ft), a height on the ground of up to 1.75 m (5.7 ft) and a body weight of at least 71 kg (157 lb). Pelagornis sandersi is thought to have had an even larger wingspan of about 6.1–7.4 m (20–24 ft), but is only about 22–40 kg (49–88 lb), half the mass of the former. The following
3612-432: A year. As the tusk develops, it is topped with smooth, cone-shaped enamel that eventually wanes. The dentine is known as ivory and has a cross-section of intersecting lines, known as "engine turning", which create diamond-shaped patterns. Being living tissue, tusks are fairly soft and about as dense as the mineral calcite . The tusk protrudes from a socket in the skull, and most of it is external. At least one-third of
3741-461: Is a parasite found in the placentas of sperm whales which can reach up to 9 m (30 ft) in length. The largest velvet worm known is Solórzano's velvet worm ( Peripatus solorzanoi ). An adult female was recorded to have a body length of 22 cm (approximately 8.7 in). The largest arthropod known to have existed is the eurypterid (sea scorpion) Jaekelopterus , reaching up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in body length, followed by
3870-517: Is a list of the heaviest living bird species based on maximum reported or reliable mass, but average weight is also given for comparison. These species are almost all flightless, which allows for these particular birds to have denser bones and heavier bodies. Flightless birds comprise less than 2% of all living bird species. The largest living amphibian is the South China giant salamander ( Andrias sligoi ). Formerly considered conspecific with
3999-409: Is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species , due to their impact on their environments. Elephants have a fission–fusion society , in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The leader of a female group, usually the oldest cow, is known as
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4128-418: Is added to stems beginning with consonants, and simply prefixes e (stems beginning with r , however, add er ). The quantitative augment is added to stems beginning with vowels, and involves lengthening the vowel: Some verbs augment irregularly; the most common variation is e → ei . The irregularity can be explained diachronically by the loss of s between vowels, or that of the letter w , which affected
4257-449: Is another giant echinoderm and can measure up to 1 m (3.3 ft) across and weigh 5.1 kg (11 lb). The largest of the segmented worms (including earthworms, leeches, and polychaetes) is the African giant earthworm ( Microchaetus rappi ). Although it averages about 1.36 m (4.5 ft) in length, this huge worm can reach a length of as much as 6.7 m (22 ft) and can weigh over 1.5 kg (3.3 lb). Only
4386-497: Is based on described dimensions in 1987. In April 2024, Ichthyotitan severnensis was established as a valid shastasaurid taxon and is considered both the largest marine reptile ever discovered and the largest macropredator ever discovered. The Lilstock specimen was estimated to be around 26 metres (85 ft) whilst the Aust specimen was an even more impressive 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) in length. Whilst no weight estimates
4515-412: Is considerably thinner. Elephants are typically grey, but African elephants look brown or reddish after rolling in coloured mud. Asian elephants have some patches of depigmentation, particularly on the head. Calves have brownish or reddish hair, with the head and back being particularly hairy. As elephants mature, their hair darkens and becomes sparser, but dense concentrations of hair and bristles remain on
4644-448: Is considered by some linguists to have been closely related to Greek . Among Indo-European branches with living descendants, Greek is often argued to have the closest genetic ties with Armenian (see also Graeco-Armenian ) and Indo-Iranian languages (see Graeco-Aryan ). Ancient Greek differs from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and other Indo-European languages in certain ways. In phonotactics , ancient Greek words could end only in
4773-439: Is cylindrical and can grow up to 60 cm (2 ft) long and 4–6 cm wide. The constituent zooids form a rigid tube, which may be pale pink, yellowish, or bluish. One end of the tube is narrower and is closed, while the other is open and has a strong diaphragm. The outer surface or test is gelatinised and dimpled with backward-pointing, blunt processes. The individual zooids are up to 8.5 mm (0.33 in) long and have
4902-714: Is derived from the Latin word elephas ( genitive elephantis ) ' elephant ' , which is the Latinised form of the ancient Greek ἐλέφας ( elephas ) (genitive ἐλέφαντος ( elephantos )), probably from a non- Indo-European language , likely Phoenician . It is attested in Mycenaean Greek as e-re-pa (genitive e-re-pa-to ) in Linear B syllabic script. As in Mycenaean Greek, Homer used
5031-482: Is dominated by the crocodilians. Unlike mammals, birds, or fish, the mass of large reptiles is frequently poorly documented and many are subject to conjecture and estimation. Dinosaurs are now extinct, except for birds, which are theropods. The largest living bird , a member of the Struthioniformes , is the common ostrich ( Struthio camelus ), from the plains of Africa . A large male ostrich can reach
5160-481: Is less massive and has a smaller mantle than the colossal squid, it may exceed the colossal squid in overall length including tentacles. One giant squid specimen that washed ashore in 1878 in Newfoundland reportedly measured 16.8 m (55 ft) in total length (from the tip of the mantle to the end of the long tentacles), head and body length 6.1 m (20 ft), 4.6 m (15 ft) in circumference at
5289-416: Is powerful enough to lift up to 350 kg (770 lb), but it also has the precision to crack a peanut shell without breaking the seed. With its trunk, an elephant can reach items up to 7 m (23 ft) high and dig for water in the mud or sand below. It also uses it to clean itself. Individuals may show lateral preference when grasping with their trunks: some prefer to twist them to the left, others to
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5418-596: Is typically more worn down, as it is shorter and blunter. For African elephants, tusks are present in both males and females and are around the same length in both sexes, reaching up to 300 cm (9 ft 10 in), but those of males tend to be more massive. In the Asian species, only the males have large tusks. Female Asians have very small tusks, or none at all. Tuskless males exist and are particularly common among Sri Lankan elephants . Asian males can have tusks as long as Africans', but they are usually slimmer and lighter;
5547-679: The Archaic or Epic period ( c. 800–500 BC ), and the Classical period ( c. 500–300 BC ). Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of fifth-century Athenian historians, playwrights, and philosophers . It has contributed many words to English vocabulary and has been a standard subject of study in educational institutions of the Western world since the Renaissance . This article primarily contains information about
5676-562: The Bering Strait into the Holocene, with their latest survival being on Wrangel Island , where they persisted until around 4,000 years ago. Over the course of their evolution, probobscideans grew in size. With that came longer limbs and wider feet with a more digitigrade stance, along with a larger head and shorter neck. The trunk evolved and grew longer to provide reach. The number of premolars, incisors, and canines decreased, and
5805-574: The Carboniferous Meganeura monyi of what is now France and the Permian Meganeuropsis permiana of what is now North America, are the largest insect species known to have existed. These creatures had a wingspan of some 75 cm (30 in) and a mass of over 1 pound (450 g), making them about the size of a crow . The lion's mane jellyfish ( Cyanea capillata ) is the largest cnidarian species, of
5934-463: The Chinese giant salamander ( A. davidianus ), the maximum size of this nearly human-sized river-dweller is 64 kg (141 lb) and almost 1.83 m (6.0 ft). Before amniotes became the dominant tetrapods , several giant amphibian proto-tetrapods existed and were certainly the dominant animals in their ecosystems. The largest known was the crocodile -like Prionosuchus , which reached
6063-838: The Early Pleistocene , all non-elephantid probobscidean genera outside of the Americas became extinct with the exception of Stegodon , with gomphotheres dispersing into South America as part of the Great American interchange , and mammoths migrating into North America around 1.5 million years ago. At the end of the Early Pleistocene, around 800,000 years ago the elephantid genus Palaeoloxodon dispersed outside of Africa, becoming widely distributed in Eurasia. Proboscideans were represented by around 23 species at
6192-606: The Epic and Classical periods of the language, which are the best-attested periods and considered most typical of Ancient Greek. From the Hellenistic period ( c. 300 BC ), Ancient Greek was followed by Koine Greek , which is regarded as a separate historical stage, though its earliest form closely resembles Attic Greek , and its latest form approaches Medieval Greek . There were several regional dialects of Ancient Greek; Attic Greek developed into Koine. Ancient Greek
6321-521: The Etosha region of Namibia. Elephants go on seasonal migrations in response to changes in environmental conditions. In northern Botswana, they travel 325 km (202 mi) to the Chobe River after the local waterholes dry up in late August. Largest and heaviest animals The largest animal currently alive is the blue whale . The maximum recorded weight was 190 tonnes (209 US tons) for
6450-719: The Indonesian islands of Komodo , Rinca , Flores , Gili Motang , Nusa kode and Padar . A member of the monitor lizard family ( Varanidae ), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of more than 3 metres (9.8 feet) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 166 kilograms (366 pounds). Nevertheless, current extant reptiles are still dwarfed by their prehistoric ancestors. The largest non-dinosaurian terrestrial reptile to have ever lived were crocodilomorphs such as Deinosuchus , Sarcosuchus and Purussaurus , each have weight varying between 5-10 metric tons. The largest snake to have ever lived
6579-756: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade , as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or employed for entertainment in circuses . Elephants have an iconic status in human culture and have been widely featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture. The word elephant
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#17327660710516708-501: The Pella curse tablet , as Hatzopoulos and other scholars note. Based on the conclusions drawn by several studies and findings such as Pella curse tablet , Emilio Crespo and other scholars suggest that ancient Macedonian was a Northwest Doric dialect , which shares isoglosses with its neighboring Thessalian dialects spoken in northeastern Thessaly . Some have also suggested an Aeolic Greek classification. The Lesbian dialect
6837-682: The elephant beetles of Central and South America, ( Megasoma elephas ) and ( M. actaeon ), the Titan beetle ( Titanus giganteus ) of the neotropical rainforest or the Goliath beetles , ( Goliathus goliatus ) and ( G. regius ), of Africa's rainforest are thought to reach a higher weight. The most frequently crowned are the Goliath beetles, the top known size of which is at least 100 g (3.5 oz) and 11.5 cm (4.5 in). The elephant beetles and titan beetle can reach greater lengths than
6966-603: The epic poems , the Iliad and the Odyssey , and in later poems by other authors. Homeric Greek had significant differences in grammar and pronunciation from Classical Attic and other Classical-era dialects. The origins, early form and development of the Hellenic language family are not well understood because of a lack of contemporaneous evidence. Several theories exist about what Hellenic dialect groups may have existed between
7095-489: The giant Gippsland earthworm , Megascolides australis , and a few giant polychaetes , including the notorious Eunice aphroditois , reach nearly comparable sizes, reaching 4 and 3.6 m (13 and 12 ft), respectively. The largest nemertean is the bootlace worm , Lineus longissimus . A specimen found washed ashore on a beach in St. Andrews , Scotland in 1864 was recorded at a length of 55 m (180 ft). Both
7224-405: The incisors , known as the tusks ; 12 deciduous premolars ; and 12 molars . Unlike most mammals, teeth are not replaced by new ones emerging from the jaws vertically. Instead, new teeth start at the back of the mouth and push out the old ones. The first chewing tooth on each side of the jaw falls out when the elephant is two to three years old. This is followed by four more tooth replacements at
7353-431: The kiwis . Aepyornis exceeded 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and 500 kg (1,100 lb), while Vorombe could reach a similar height and a mass of 732 kg (1,614 lb). The last of the elephant birds became extinct about 300 years ago. Of almost exactly the same upper proportions as the largest elephant birds was Dromornis stirtoni of Australia , part of a 26,000-year-old group called mihirungs of
7482-507: The matriarch . Males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. They enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth , which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in
7611-422: The pleural cavity . This may allow the animal to deal with the pressure differences when its body is underwater and its trunk is breaking the surface for air. Elephants breathe mostly with the trunk but also with the mouth. They have a hindgut fermentation system, and their large and small intestines together reach 35 m (115 ft) in length. Less than half of an elephant's food intake gets digested, despite
7740-501: The present , future , and imperfect are imperfective in aspect; the aorist , present perfect , pluperfect and future perfect are perfective in aspect. Most tenses display all four moods and three voices, although there is no future subjunctive or imperative. Also, there is no imperfect subjunctive, optative or imperative. The infinitives and participles correspond to the finite combinations of tense, aspect, and voice. The indicative of past tenses adds (conceptually, at least)
7869-503: The sea spiders is the deep-sea species Colossendeis colossea , attaining a leg span of nearly 60 cm (2.0 ft). Some of these extinct marine arthropods exceeded 60 cm (24 in) in length. A nearly complete specimen of Isotelus rex from Manitoba attained a length over 70 cm (28 in), and an Ogyginus forteyi from Portugal was almost as long. Fragments of trilobites suggest even larger record sizes. An isolated pygidium of Hungioides bohemicus implies that
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#17327660710517998-484: The temporal gland , located on both sides of the head. This organ is associated with sexual behaviour, and males secrete a fluid from it when in musth . Females have also been observed with these secretions. Elephants are herbivorous and will eat leaves, twigs, fruit, bark, grass, and roots. African elephants mostly browse , while Asian elephants mainly graze . They can eat as much as 300 kg (660 lb) of food and drink 40 L (11 US gal) of water in
8127-428: The ventricles of the heart split towards the top, a trait also found in sirenians. When upright, the elephant's heart beats around 28 beats per minute and actually speeds up to 35 beats when it lies down. The blood vessels are thick and wide and can hold up under high blood pressure. The lungs are attached to the diaphragm , and breathing relies less on the expanding of the ribcage. Connective tissue exists in place of
8256-593: The "shovel tuskers" like Platybelodon ), choerolophodontids and stegodontids . Around 10 million years ago, the earliest members of the family Elephantidae emerged in Africa, having originated from gomphotheres. Elephantids are distinguished from earlier proboscideans by a major shift in the molar morphology to parallel lophs rather than the cusps of earlier proboscideans, allowing them to become higher-crowned (hypsodont) and more efficient in consuming grass. The Late Miocene saw major climactic changes, which resulted in
8385-1031: The 5th century BC. Ancient pronunciation cannot be reconstructed with certainty, but Greek from the period is well documented, and there is little disagreement among linguists as to the general nature of the sounds that the letters represent. /oː/ raised to [uː] , probably by the 4th century BC. Greek, like all of the older Indo-European languages , is highly inflected. It is highly archaic in its preservation of Proto-Indo-European forms. In ancient Greek, nouns (including proper nouns) have five cases ( nominative , genitive , dative , accusative , and vocative ), three genders ( masculine , feminine , and neuter ), and three numbers (singular, dual , and plural ). Verbs have four moods ( indicative , imperative , subjunctive , and optative ) and three voices (active, middle, and passive ), as well as three persons (first, second, and third) and various other forms. Verbs are conjugated through seven combinations of tenses and aspect (generally simply called "tenses"):
8514-525: The African Eritherium and Phosphatherium are known from the late Paleocene . The Eocene included Numidotherium , Moeritherium , and Barytherium from Africa. These animals were relatively small and, some, like Moeritherium and Barytherium were probably amphibious. Later on, genera such as Phiomia and Palaeomastodon arose; the latter likely inhabited more forested areas. Proboscidean diversification changed little during
8643-495: The Archaic period of ancient Greek (see Homeric Greek for more details): Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε, πολλὰς δ' ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι· Διὸς δ' ἐτελείετο βουλή· ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς. The beginning of Apology by Plato exemplifies Attic Greek from
8772-545: The Dorians. The Greeks of this period believed there were three major divisions of all Greek people – Dorians, Aeolians, and Ionians (including Athenians), each with their own defining and distinctive dialects. Allowing for their oversight of Arcadian, an obscure mountain dialect, and Cypriot, far from the center of Greek scholarship, this division of people and language is quite similar to the results of modern archaeological-linguistic investigation. One standard formulation for
8901-455: The Goliath, at up to 13.1 and 15.2 cm (5.2 and 6.0 in), respectively, but this is in part thanks to their rather large horns. The Goliath beetle's wingspan can range up to 25 cm (9.8 in). Some moths and butterflies have much larger areas than the heaviest beetles, but weigh a fraction as much. The longest insects are the stick insects, see below. Representatives of the extinct dragonfly-like order Meganisoptera , such as
9030-611: The Greek word to mean ivory , but after the time of Herodotus , it also referred to the animal. The word elephant appears in Middle English as olyfaunt ( c. 1300 ) and was borrowed from Old French oliphant (12th century). Orycteropodidae [REDACTED] Macroscelididae [REDACTED] Chrysochloridae [REDACTED] Tenrecidae [REDACTED] Procaviidae [REDACTED] Elephantidae [REDACTED] Dugongidae [REDACTED] Trichechidae [REDACTED] Elephants belong to
9159-658: The Oligocene. One notable species of this epoch was Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi of the Horn of Africa , which may have been an ancestor to several later species. early proboscideans, e.g. Moeritherium [REDACTED] Deinotheriidae [REDACTED] Mammutidae [REDACTED] Gomphotheriidae [REDACTED] Stegodontidae [REDACTED] Loxodonta [REDACTED] Palaeoloxodon [REDACTED] Mammuthus [REDACTED] Elephas [REDACTED] A major event in proboscidean evolution
9288-479: The ages of four to six, 9–15, 18–28, and finally in their early 40s. The final (usually sixth) set must last the elephant the rest of its life. Elephant teeth have loop-shaped dental ridges, which are more diamond-shaped in African elephants. The tusks of an elephant are modified second incisors in the upper jaw. They replace deciduous milk teeth at 6–12 months of age and keep growing at about 17 cm (7 in)
9417-550: The aorist. Following Homer 's practice, the augment is sometimes not made in poetry , especially epic poetry. The augment sometimes substitutes for reduplication; see below. Almost all forms of the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect reduplicate the initial syllable of the verb stem. (A few irregular forms of perfect do not reduplicate, whereas a handful of irregular aorists reduplicate.) The three types of reduplication are: Irregular duplication can be understood diachronically. For example, lambanō (root lab ) has
9546-419: The augment when it was word-initial. In verbs with a preposition as a prefix, the augment is placed not at the start of the word, but between the preposition and the original verb. For example, προσ(-)βάλλω (I attack) goes to προσ έ βαλoν in the aorist. However compound verbs consisting of a prefix that is not a preposition retain the augment at the start of the word: αὐτο(-)μολῶ goes to ηὐ τομόλησα in
9675-642: The beginning of the Late Pleistocene . Proboscideans underwent a dramatic decline during the Late Pleistocene as part of the Late Pleistocene extinctions of most large mammals globally, with all remaining non-elephantid proboscideans (including Stegodon , mastodons , and the American gomphotheres Cuvieronius and Notiomastodon ) and Palaeoloxodon becoming extinct, with mammoths only surviving in relict populations on islands around
9804-486: The blue whale, with a mass of 85 to 340 t (94–375 short tons; 84–335 long tons). However, more recent studies suggest this whale was much smaller than previous estimates putting its weight at 60 to 113 tonnes. While controversial, estimates for the weight of the sauropod Bruhathkayosaurus suggest it was around 110–170 tons, with the highest estimate being 240 tons, if scaled with Patagotitan , although actual fossil remains no longer exist, and that estimation
9933-403: The capture of the largest known colossal squid specimen. It was initially thought to be 10 m (33 ft) and 450 kg (990 lb). It was later measured at 4.2 m (14 ft) long and 495 kg (1,091 lb) in weight. The mantle was 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long when measured. The giant squid ( Architeuthis dux ) was previously thought to be the largest squid, and while it
10062-450: The cheek teeth (molars and premolars) became longer and more specialised. The incisors developed into tusks of different shapes and sizes. Several species of proboscideans became isolated on islands and experienced insular dwarfism , some dramatically reducing in body size, such as the 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon falconeri . Elephants are the largest living terrestrial animals. Some species of
10191-461: The class Scyphozoa . The largest known specimen of this giant, found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell diameter of 2.5 m (8.2 ft), a weight of 150 kg (330 lb). The tentacles of this specimen were as long as 37 m (121 ft) and were projected to have a tentacular spread of about 75 m (246 ft) making it one of the longest extant animals. Communities of coral can be truly massive,
10320-400: The decline and extinction of many proboscidean groups. The earliest members of the modern genera of Elephantidae appeared during the latest Miocene–early Pliocene around 5 million years ago. The elephantid genera Elephas (which includes the living Asian elephant) and Mammuthus (mammoths) migrated out of Africa during the late Pliocene, around 3.6 to 3.2 million years ago. Over the course of
10449-615: The dialect of Sparta ), and Northern Peloponnesus Doric (including Corinthian ). All the groups were represented by colonies beyond Greece proper as well, and these colonies generally developed local characteristics, often under the influence of settlers or neighbors speaking different Greek dialects. After the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, a new international dialect known as Koine or Common Greek developed, largely based on Attic Greek , but with influence from other dialects. This dialect slowly replaced most of
10578-465: The dialects is: West vs. non-West Greek is the strongest-marked and earliest division, with non-West in subsets of Ionic-Attic (or Attic-Ionic) and Aeolic vs. Arcadocypriot, or Aeolic and Arcado-Cypriot vs. Ionic-Attic. Often non-West is called 'East Greek'. Arcadocypriot apparently descended more closely from the Mycenaean Greek of the Bronze Age. Boeotian Greek had come under
10707-468: The difficulty of trapping and measuring a very large living crocodile, the accuracy of these dimensions has yet to be verified. A specimen named Lolong caught alive in the Philippines in 2011 (died February 2013) was found to have measured 6.17 m (20.2 ft) in length. The Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis ), also known as the "Komodo monitor", is a large species of lizard found in
10836-567: The divergence of early Greek-like speech from the common Proto-Indo-European language and the Classical period. They have the same general outline but differ in some of the detail. The only attested dialect from this period is Mycenaean Greek , but its relationship to the historical dialects and the historical circumstances of the times imply that the overall groups already existed in some form. Scholars assume that major Ancient Greek period dialect groups developed not later than 1120 BC, at
10965-523: The elephant uses its trunk as a snorkel . The trunk also acts as a sense organ. Its sense of smell may be four times greater than a bloodhound 's nose. The infraorbital nerve , which makes the trunk sensitive to touch, is thicker than both the optic and auditory nerves. Whiskers grow all along the trunk, and are particularly packed at the tip, where they contribute to its tactile sensitivity. Unlike those of many mammals, such as cats and rats, elephant whiskers do not move independently ("whisk") to sense
11094-401: The environment; the trunk itself must move to bring the whiskers into contact with nearby objects. Whiskers grow in rows along each side on the ventral surface of the trunk, which is thought to be essential in helping elephants balance objects there, whereas they are more evenly arranged on the dorsal surface. The number and patterns of whiskers are distinctly different between species. Damaging
11223-407: The extinct elephant genus Palaeoloxodon considerably exceeded modern elephants in size making them among the largest land mammals ever. The skeleton is made up of 326–351 bones. The vertebrae are connected by tight joints, which limit the backbone's flexibility. African elephants have 21 pairs of ribs, while Asian elephants have 19 or 20 pairs. The skull contains air cavities ( sinuses ) that reduce
11352-421: The extinct mastodon "Mammut" borsoni may have rivalled P. namadicus in size. The Late Triassic Lisowicia bojani , from what is now southern Poland , probably was the largest of all non-mammalian synapsids (most of which became extinct 250 million years ago), at 4.5 m (15 ft) in length, 2.6 m (8.5 ft) in height and 9 t (20,000 lb) in weight. However, one study suggested
11481-438: The family Dromornithidae . The largest carnivorous bird was Brontornis , an extinct flightless bird from South America which reached a weight of 350 to 400 kg (770 to 880 lb) and a height of about 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in). The tallest carnivorous bird was Kelenken , which could reach 3 to 3.2 meters in height and 220 to 250 kilograms. The tallest bird ever was the giant moa ( Dinornis maximus ), part of
11610-582: The family Elephantidae , the sole remaining family within the order Proboscidea . Their closest extant relatives are the sirenians ( dugongs and manatees ) and the hyraxes , with which they share the clade Paenungulata within the superorder Afrotheria . Elephants and sirenians are further grouped in the clade Tethytheria . Three species of living elephants are recognised; the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), forest elephant ( Loxodonta cyclotis ), and Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ). African elephants were traditionally considered
11739-516: The front and hind limbs can support an elephant's weight, although 60% is borne by the front. The position of the limbs and leg bones allows an elephant to stand still for extended periods of time without tiring. Elephants are incapable of turning their manus as the ulna and radius of the front legs are secured in pronation . Elephants may also lack the pronator quadratus and pronator teres muscles or have very small ones. The circular feet of an elephant have soft tissues, or "cushion pads" beneath
11868-424: The full animal was 90 cm (35 in) long. Insects , a class of Arthropoda , are easily the most numerous class of organisms, with over one million identified species, and probably many undescribed species. The heaviest insect is almost certainly a species of beetle , which incidentally is the most species-rich order of organisms. Although heavyweight giant wetas ( Deinacrida heteracantha ) are known,
11997-456: The heaviest weighted specimen being 190 tonnes. The extinct whale species Perucetus colossus was shorter than the blue whale, at 17.0–20.1 meters (55.8–65.9 ft) but it is estimated to have rivaled or surpassed it in weight, at 85–340 tonnes. At the highest estimates, this would make Perucetus the heaviest known animal in history. The largest land mammal extant today is the African bush elephant . The largest extinct land mammal known
12126-536: The largest ear flaps. The ossicles are adapted for hearing low frequencies, being most sensitive at 1 kHz . Lacking a lacrimal apparatus (tear duct), the eye relies on the harderian gland in the orbit to keep it moist. A durable nictitating membrane shields the globe. The animal's field of vision is compromised by the location and limited mobility of the eyes. Elephants are dichromats and they can see well in dim light but not in bright light. The elongated and prehensile trunk, or proboscis , consists of both
12255-462: The largest mollusks and the largest of all invertebrates (in terms of mass) are the largest squids. The colossal squid ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni ) is projected to be the largest invertebrate. Current estimates put its maximum size at 12 to 14 m (39 to 46 ft) long and 750 kg (1,650 lb), based on analysis of smaller specimens. In 2007, authorities in New Zealand announced
12384-404: The largest recorded was 302 cm (9 ft 11 in) long and weighed 39 kg (86 lb). Hunting for elephant ivory in Africa and Asia has resulted in an effective selection pressure for shorter tusks and tusklessness. An elephant's skin is generally very tough, at 2.5 cm (1 in) thick on the back and parts of the head. The skin around the mouth, anus , and inside of the ear
12513-446: The manus or pes , which allow them to bear the animal's great mass. They appear to have a sesamoid , an extra "toe" similar in placement to a giant panda 's extra "thumb", that also helps in weight distribution. As many as five toenails can be found on both the front and hind feet. Elephants can move both forward and backward, but are incapable of trotting , jumping , or galloping . They can move on land only by walking or ambling :
12642-425: The middle with a thinner tip and supported by a thicker base. They contain numerous blood vessels called capillaries . Warm blood flows into the capillaries, releasing excess heat into the environment. This effect is increased by flapping the ears back and forth. Larger ear surfaces contain more capillaries, and more heat can be released. Of all the elephants, African bush elephants live in the hottest climates and have
12771-621: The millipede relative Arthropleura at around 2.1 m (6.9 ft) in length. Among living arthropods, the Japanese spider crab ( Macrocheira kaempferi ) is the largest in overall size, the record specimen, caught in 1921, had an extended arm span of 3.8 m (12 ft) and weighed about 19 kg (42 lb). The heaviest is the American lobster ( Homarus americanus ), the largest verified specimen, caught in 1977 off of Nova Scotia weighed 20 kg (44 lb) and its body length
12900-507: The moa family of New Zealand that went extinct around 1500 AD. This particular species of moa stood up to 3.7 m (12 ft) tall, but weighed about half as much as a large elephant bird or mihirung due to its comparatively slender frame. The heaviest bird ever capable of flight was Argentavis magnificens , the largest member of the now extinct family Teratornithidae , found in Miocene-aged fossil beds of Argentina, with
13029-412: The nose and upper lip, which fuse in early fetal development. This versatile appendage contains up to 150,000 separate muscle fascicles , with no bone and little fat. These paired muscles consist of two major types: superficial (surface) and internal. The former are divided into dorsal, ventral , and lateral muscles, while the latter are divided into transverse and radiating muscles. The muscles of
13158-508: The older dialects, although the Doric dialect has survived in the Tsakonian language , which is spoken in the region of modern Sparta. Doric has also passed down its aorist terminations into most verbs of Demotic Greek . By about the 6th century AD, the Koine had slowly metamorphosed into Medieval Greek . Phrygian is an extinct Indo-European language of West and Central Anatolia , which
13287-643: The past, but now, even individuals over 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) are rare. The species is only found in Tasmanian rivers flowing north into the Bass Strait below 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level , and is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List . The four modern horseshoe crabs are of roughly the same sizes, with females measuring up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) in length and 5 kg (11 lb) in weight. The largest of
13416-487: The perfect stem eilēpha (not * lelēpha ) because it was originally slambanō , with perfect seslēpha , becoming eilēpha through compensatory lengthening. Reduplication is also visible in the present tense stems of certain verbs. These stems add a syllable consisting of the root's initial consonant followed by i . A nasal stop appears after the reduplication in some verbs. The earliest extant examples of ancient Greek writing ( c. 1450 BC ) are in
13545-418: The process lasting a day. An elephant's bladder can store up to 18 litres of urine and its kidneys can produce more than 50 litres of urine per day. A male elephant's testes, like other Afrotheria , are internally located near the kidneys. The penis can be as long as 100 cm (39 in) with a 16 cm (6 in) wide base. It curves to an 'S' when fully erect and has an orifice shaped like
13674-487: The right. Elephant trunks are capable of powerful siphoning. They can expand their nostrils by 30%, leading to a 64% greater nasal volume, and can breathe in almost 30 times faster than a human sneeze, at over 150 m/s (490 ft/s). They suck up water, which is squirted into the mouth or over the body. The trunk of an adult Asian elephant is capable of retaining 8.5 L (2.2 US gal) of water. They will also sprinkle dust or grass on themselves. When underwater,
13803-501: The same thickness at the thickest part of the "body". Some of these creatures have been estimated to be over 2,400 years of age. Ancient Greek Ancient Greek ( Ἑλληνῐκή , Hellēnikḗ ; [hellɛːnikɛ́ː] ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek ( c. 1400–1200 BC ), Dark Ages ( c. 1200–800 BC ),
13932-399: The skin may reduce dehydration and allow for increased thermal regulation in the long term. To support the animal's weight, an elephant's limbs are positioned more vertically under the body than in most other mammals. The long bones of the limbs have cancellous bones in place of medullary cavities . This strengthens the bones while still allowing haematopoiesis (blood cell creation). Both
14061-453: The skull, which serve as protection. Because of the size of the head, the neck is relatively short to provide better support. Elephants are homeotherms and maintain their average body temperature at ~ 36 °C (97 °F), with a minimum of 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) during the cool season, and a maximum of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) during the hot dry season. Elephant ear flaps, or pinnae , are 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) thick in
14190-517: The syllabic script Linear B . Beginning in the 8th century BC, however, the Greek alphabet became standard, albeit with some variation among dialects. Early texts are written in boustrophedon style, but left-to-right became standard during the classic period. Modern editions of ancient Greek texts are usually written with accents and breathing marks , interword spacing , modern punctuation , and sometimes mixed case , but these were all introduced later. The beginning of Homer 's Iliad exemplifies
14319-454: The thickest part of mantle, and weighed about 900 kg (2,000 lb). This specimen is still often cited as the largest invertebrate that has ever been examined. However, no animals approaching this size have been scientifically documented and, according to giant squid expert Steve O'Shea , such lengths were likely achieved by greatly stretching the two tentacles like elastic bands. The largest roundworm , Placentonema gigantissima ,
14448-467: The time of the Dorian invasions —and that their first appearances as precise alphabetic writing began in the 8th century BC. The invasion would not be "Dorian" unless the invaders had some cultural relationship to the historical Dorians . The invasion is known to have displaced population to the later Attic-Ionic regions, who regarded themselves as descendants of the population displaced by or contending with
14577-470: The tip of the tail and parts of the head and genitals. Normally, the skin of an Asian elephant is covered with more hair than its African counterpart. Their hair is thought to help them lose heat in their hot environments. Although tough, an elephant's skin is very sensitive and requires mud baths to maintain moisture and protection from burning and insect bites. After bathing, the elephant will usually use its trunk to blow dust onto its body, which dries into
14706-511: The trunk connect to a bony opening in the skull. The nasal septum consists of small elastic muscles between the nostrils, which are divided by cartilage at the base. A unique proboscis nerve – a combination of the maxillary and facial nerves – lines each side of the appendage. As a muscular hydrostat , the trunk moves through finely controlled muscle contractions, working both with and against each other. Using three basic movements: bending, twisting, and longitudinal stretching or retracting,
14835-421: The trunk has near unlimited flexibility. Objects grasped by the end of the trunk can be moved to the mouth by curving the appendage inward. The trunk can also bend at different points by creating stiffened "pseudo-joints". The tip can be moved in a way similar to the human hand. The skin is more elastic on the dorsal side of the elephant trunk than underneath; allowing the animal to stretch and coil while maintaining
14964-505: The trunk would be detrimental to an elephant's survival, although in rare cases, individuals have survived with shortened ones. One trunkless elephant has been observed to graze using its lips with its hind legs in the air and balancing on its front knees. Floppy trunk syndrome is a condition of trunk paralysis recorded in African bush elephants and involves the degeneration of the peripheral nerves and muscles. The disorder has been linked to lead poisoning. Elephants usually have 26 teeth:
15093-432: The tusk contains the pulp , and some have nerves that stretch even further. Thus, it would be difficult to remove it without harming the animal. When removed, ivory will dry up and crack if not kept cool and wet. Tusks function in digging, debarking, marking, moving objects, and fighting. Elephants are usually right- or left-tusked, similar to humans, who are typically right- or left-handed . The dominant, or "master" tusk,
15222-418: The weight of the skull while maintaining overall strength. These cavities give the inside of the skull a honeycomb -like appearance. By contrast, the lower jaw is dense. The cranium is particularly large and provides enough room for the attachment of muscles to support the entire head. The skull is built to withstand great stress, particularly when fighting or using the tusks. The brain is surrounded by arches in
15351-419: The whole body of a large whale, most have been weighed by parts. The heaviest land animals are all mammals. The African elephant is now listed as two species, the African bush elephant and the African forest elephant , as they are now generally considered to be two separate species. The blue whale is the largest mammal of all time, with the longest known specimen being 33 m (108.3 ft) long and
15480-463: The wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans . They appear to have self-awareness , and possibly show concern for dying and dead individuals of their kind. African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered and African forest elephants as critically endangered by
15609-492: Was Titanoboa which could grow up to 12.8–14.3 m (42–47 ft) and weigh up to 730–1,135 kg (1,609–2,502 lb). Prehistoric marine reptiles from the Mesozoic were even larger. Archelon was the largest testudines , being around 4.6 m (15 ft) long from head to tail and 2.2–3.2 t (2.4–3.5 short tons) in weight. Mosasaurus hoffmanni was the largest squamate lizard to have ever lived, with
15738-482: Was 1.1 m (3.6 ft). The largest land arthropod and the largest land invertebrate is the coconut crab ( Birgus latro ), up to 40 cm (1.3 ft) long and weighing up to 4 kg (8.8 lb) on average. Its legs may span 1 m (3.3 ft). Both spiders and scorpions include contenders for the largest arachnids. The largest crustacean is the Tasmanian giant crab ( Pseudocarcinus gigas ), with
15867-475: Was 6.32 m (20.7 ft) long, and weighed about 1,360 kg (3,000 lb). Unconfirmed reports of much larger crocodiles exist, but examinations of incomplete remains have never suggested a length greater than 7 m (23 ft). Also, a living specimen estimated at 7 m (23 ft) and 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) has been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records. However, due to
15996-480: Was Aeolic. For example, fragments of the works of the poet Sappho from the island of Lesbos are in Aeolian. Most of the dialect sub-groups listed above had further subdivisions, generally equivalent to a city-state and its surrounding territory, or to an island. Doric notably had several intermediate divisions as well, into Island Doric (including Cretan Doric ), Southern Peloponnesus Doric (including Laconian ,
16125-452: Was a pluricentric language , divided into many dialects. The main dialect groups are Attic and Ionic , Aeolic , Arcadocypriot , and Doric , many of them with several subdivisions. Some dialects are found in standardized literary forms in literature , while others are attested only in inscriptions. There are also several historical forms. Homeric Greek is a literary form of Archaic Greek (derived primarily from Ionic and Aeolic) used in
16254-481: Was long considered to be Paraceratherium orgosensis , a rhinoceros relative thought to have stood up to 4.8 m (15.7 ft) tall, measured over 7.4 m (24.3 ft) long and may have weighed about 17 tonnes. In 2015, a study suggested that the extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon namadicus may have been the largest land mammal ever, based on a fragmentary femur estimated to belong to an individual with maximum weight of 22 tonnes. This author also suggested that
16383-464: Was made as of yet, Ichthyotitan would have easily rivalled or surpassed the blue whale. The upper estimates of weight for these prehistoric animals would have easily rivaled or exceeded the largest rorquals and sauropods. The African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) is the largest living land animal. A native of various open habitats in sub-Saharan Africa, males weigh about 6.0 tonnes (13,200 lb) on average. The largest elephant ever recorded
16512-496: Was shot in Angola in 1974. It was a male measuring 10.67 metres (35.0 ft) from trunk to tail and 4.17 metres (13.7 ft) lying on its side in a projected line from the highest point of the shoulder, to the base of the forefoot, indicating a standing shoulder height of 3.96 metres (13.0 ft). This male had a computed weight of 10.4 to 12.25 tonnes. The heaviest living animals are all whales . Since no scale can accommodate
16641-670: Was the collision of Afro-Arabia with Eurasia, during the Early Miocene, around 18–19 million years ago, allowing proboscideans to disperse from their African homeland across Eurasia and later, around 16–15 million years ago into North America across the Bering Land Bridge . Proboscidean groups prominent during the Miocene include the deinotheres , along with the more advanced elephantimorphs , including mammutids (mastodons), gomphotheres , amebelodontids (which includes
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