Elephant Teeth Research Articles

Human exploitation of a straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon) in Middle Pleistocene deposits at Pampore, Kashmir, India

Stone tools in association with Pleistocene elephant remains were recovered from Pampore, Kashmir, India, in 2000 from channel deposits in the Pampore Member of the Upper Karewa Group of sediments, which are interpreted as Middle Pleistocene in age. In March 2019 the elephant remains were re-examined to establish taxonomy, cause of death and evidence of human intervention, alongside study of the stone tools and age of the site. This paper reports the results of this work. Most of the elephant remains, including skull and tusks, are from a large adult, but at least two other elephants are also represented. Taxonomic analysis shows that the adult belongs to the genus Palaeoloxodon, but with a mix of features not seen in typical Palaeoloxodon skulls from the Indian Subcontinent. Pathology of the skull indicates severe sinusitis, which may have contributed to the death. No cut-marks from butchery were found on the elephant bones, although three elephant bone flakes were identified, linking human intervention with elephants at the site. The small lithic assemblage is in fresh condition with some refitting artefacts, both suggesting minimal post-depositional movement. Most of the artefacts consist of flakes, flake tools and cores, but with several points and blades suggestive of an early Mode 3 prepared core technology. This might indicate a late Middle Pleistocene age for the site. Further dating evidence using amino acid racemisation on elephant tooth enamel is ongoing, but consistent with this age. The association of stone tools with humanly-modified elephant remains is rare, while prepared core technology is currently scarce further north or east in Asia in the late Middle Pleistocene. The significance of the discovery is discussed in the wider context of Middle Pleistocene elephant-human interaction.

The chemistry of a fossilised elephant tooth: Domenico Morichini and the discovery of dental fluoride.

On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Italian physician, Domenico Morichini (1773-1836), this study aims to commemorate this illustrious figure, who made a great contribution to the history of dentistry through his discovery of the presence of fluoride in dental enamel. Starting from a chemical analysis of the components of the enamel and osseous part of a fossilised elephant tooth discovered in Rome in 1802, Morichini demonstrated the presence of high amounts of fluoride, not only in these remains, but also in samples of human teeth. The Italian doctor, a Professor of Chemistry at the Sapienza University of Rome, also affirmed the importance of his discovery from a clinical perspective, as it enabled a better understanding of the chemical composition of enamel, changes in which he saw as the cause of most dental diseases. Morichini was a talented clinician and scientist, who also made contributions in other medical-scientific fields, as one of the first to suggest the electromagnetic nature of solar radiation based on experiments that were replicated internationally.

The ancient Asian elephant of Turkey in the light of new specimens: Does it have regional features?

Although today the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, exists in a number of fragmented and isolated populations in south and southeast Asia, its historical range was extended westwards as far as Iraq. Because E. maximus is rarely preserved in fossil form and the remains from these peripheral ancient populations are scant, not much is known about their relationship to modern Asian elephant. The elephants in Tigris-Euphrates region, sometimes referred to as E. maximus asurus, had died out during the first half of the first millennium BCE. Some researchers have supported the idea that a living Asian elephant population inhabited the Euphrates-Tigris region in the late Holocene. The remains of ancient Asian elephant from the southeastern part of Turkey are known from several studies, and Gavur Lake Swamp (southeast Turkey) in particular is the only natural locality that yielded both dental and postcranial remains in southwest Asia. In this study new specimens including mandibles, isolated teeth, scapula, humeri and vertebras from Gavur Lake Swamp were studied. Moreover, the wear patterns of lower molars are examined in detail as they have an ambiguous pattern, which is mostly associated with Palaeoloxodon antiquus and is not very common in recent Asian elephant. Comparisons with the recent Asian elephant teeth may point out that the extinct westernmost population of Asian elephant in Gavur Lake Swamp might have local or regional features in wear pattern in the lower molars.

A new straight-tusked elephant tooth from Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde, France). Review of elephant discoveries in the northern Médoc

Coastal erosion in the northern Medoc region has uncovered Middle Pleistocene straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) remains in the L’Amelie beach area, south of Soulac-sur-Mer (south-west France). First to be discovered was a mandible published in 1875. Since then, some fragments in 1971, a partial skeleton in 1994, and a mandible as well as an isolated tooth in 2000 have been discovered. Here we present an additional specimen, an upper molar found by Pauline Debruges in 2014. Over the past three years, a tusk of nearly two metres in length and a vertebra have been recovered. These elements allow us to improve our understanding of this fossil species, to clarify the stratigraphic origin of the remains and to discuss the age of the clayey formations in which they were embedded.

Stable isotope dietary reconstructions of herbivore enamel reveal heterogeneous savanna ecosystems in the Plio-Pleistocene Malawi Rift

The Plio-Pleistocene expansion of Eastern Africa savanna ecosystems was a major driver for morphological and behavioral innovations in hominin evolution. Most evidence for hominin ecosystem reconstructions originates from the Eastern Rift in today's Somali-Masai Endemic Zone. We provide stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope data from 22 bovid, equid, suid, hippopotamid and elephant teeth from the southern part of the East African Rift and supplement these by δ18O values of present-day meteoric water. This region (Karonga Basin, Malawi) hosts remains of Homo rudolfensis and Paranthropus boisei. It is situated between hominin-bearing sites in Eastern and Southern Africa and therefore fills an important geographical gap for hominin evolution.Tooth enamel δ13C and δ18O data of 14 large-bodied mammalian herbivore species from Units 2 and 3 (ca. 4.3 to 0.6Ma) in the Chiwondo Beds provide information about foraging strategies and vegetation patterns. Our stable isotope data reflect C3-dominated ecosystems that permitted access to open C4-environments for migratory mammals. Many analyzed taxa show evidence for mixed diets with high abundances of C3-biomass consumption; only selected bovids were specialized grazers.δ18O of present-day meteoric water reflects rainfall amount and seasonality, elevation, and lake evaporation. δ18O values of Karonga Basin herbivore enamel are generally low and cover values similar to present-day drinking water, indicating both, evaporated and freshwater sources. Comparison of δ13C values from the Karonga Basin with other Eastern African herbivore communities reveals significant differences in dietary patterns with much more generalized mixed C3/C4, and pure C3 feeding behaviors in the Malawi Rift. Similarly, enamel δ18O values are lower than in most Plio-Pleistocene Eastern African herbivores, suggesting more humid conditions. Collectively, our data support models in which early hominin foraging activity included access to C3-dominated biomes, complicating traditional interpretations linking early human evolutionary innovations to a shift towards savanna habitats.

‘When elephants battle, the grass suffers.’ Power, ivory and the Syrian elephant

The craftsmanship of the ivory objects in Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Eastern Mediterranean leave no doubt as to their intention to impress. Elephant teeth are an important raw material for the manufacture of these objects. Zooarchaeological research shows that cranial, dental, and postcranial remains of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are nearly as ubiquitous as worked ivory across Southwest Asia. This paper attempts to reconstruct the origins, habitat, range, life style and the end of the Syrian elephant. It discusses recent bone and tooth finds of this animal from Kinet Höyük and Tell Atchana in the Hatay in Turkey against the background of previous research on the ‘Syrian elephant’ and ivory production in the Levant. It confirms the proposal that Asian elephants were not endemic to the region and that their arrival was anthropogenic. The Syrian elephant was the product of the power-hungry Bronze Age elite in the region. Having become an ‘evolutionarily significant unit’ for centuries, these elephants died out in the 8th or 7th century BC. Present evidence, including off-site evidence, suggests that while their local extinction was also anthropogenic, elephants themselves were not merely passive victims in the process; they have made an already difficult and degraded environment even more unsustainable for themselves and the human communities in the region. The immense demand for ivory and competition among first commercial, then territorial powers of the Bronze Age Levant, who symbolically associated themselves with elephants, caused the birth of the ‘Syrian elephant’. In their demise, not only the elites, but also non-elite herders and agriculturalists were probably responsible.

A Decorated Ivory Belt from Tilla Bulak, Southern Uzbekistan

Abstract The ivory belt-plate, one of two found in a burial at the site of Tilla Bulak, Uzbekistan, shows a battle scene between two groups of mounted warriors. It belongs to a small group of figural belt plates from the region and is dated iconographically to the 1st century BC / 1st century AD. The elephant tooth from which it was worked was more than 2000 years old at the time.

Dental microwear variation in complete molars of Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus

Dental microwear analysis is an important addition to the field of paleoecology, and has proven useful for inferring dietary preferences in extant and extinct species. New techniques involving the use of low-magnification light microscopy have become very popular for use with large specimens that pose logistical problems for analysis with traditional scanning electron microscopy. In this study, the dental microwear of two complete molars from the extant elephants, Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus was examined using low magnification light microscopy. The African elephant molar had a higher percentage of scratches versus pits when compared to the Asian elephant. Previous studies on elephant teeth have examined only a sample area of each lamella, and based on this study, much variation is present within a single molar from anterior to posterior lamellae as well from buccal to lingual sides of these plates, and so analysis of a sample area of enamel may not be providing consistent information on diet preference.

Orphans' tales: seasonal dietary changes in elephants from Tsavo National Park, Kenya

The similarity of δ 13C and δ 15N patterns in hairs of different individuals from the Tsavo East orphaned elephant herd indicates that a single hair represents the dietary preferences and behavior of the entire group. Multiple tail hairs from the same individual collected at different times allows a chronology to be established because of the overlap in isotope patterns in hair, and there is a very high correlation between hair from different individuals in the same group. Forward modeling using a three-component isotope turnover model for hair allows a precise estimate of diet of these elephants over a 2-year interval. Elephants from Tsavo East National Park in Kenya feed predominantly on C 3 leaves, although they have a significant fraction of C 4 grass in their diet for a short time at the beginning of the rainy season. The overall integrated diet for the elephants studied is between 10% and 15% C 4 grass, although it reaches up to 60% for short intervals. Stable carbon isotope analyses of elephant tooth enamel show that the average integrated dietary preference of elephants in Tsavo National Park remained less than 25% grass between 1940 and the present.

ESR Study of elephant tooth enamel from the Kärlich-Seeufer site in Germany

Enamel from 6 different positions in a well preserved elephant tooth from the Kärlich-Seeufer site in Germany has been irradiated up to 32 kGy. The X-band ( ν=9.5 GHz) ESR spectra of two subsamples have been decomposed into three real components with Maximum Likelihood Common Factor Analysis (MLCFA). One of these components due to orthorhombic CO − 2 radicals is predominant. Dose response curves for the contributions of these MLCFA components and for different heights in the ESR spectra have been obtained and fitted with different models. Depending on the model, the equivalent dose for the preferably used height at g=1.9973, due to CO − 2, ranges from 70 to 130 Gy. Due to a very low uranium and thorium content in both enamel and dentine (≤∼ 10 ppb) and to an important external γ-attenuation, the ages fluctuate between 300 and 575 ka.

Geological and pedological aspects of an Early-Paleolithic site: Revadim, Central Coastal Plain, Israel

An Early Paleolithic site was recently discovered within a sequence of paleosols in the Revadim Quarry, central coastal plain of Israel. The section is composed of three superimposed soils in a continuous sequence, but separated by two unconformity surfaces. The uppermost paleosol is a modern Dark Brown Grumusol (Vertisol), the middle is a Quartzic Gray Brown Soil (Haploxeralf), and the lower is a Red Hamra (Rhodoxeralf). Normal magnetic polarity was detected in the two lower soils, indicating that they are younger than the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary (<780 ka). A human occupation bed, enriched in secondary carbonate nodules, forms the lower part of the Quartzic Gray Brown Soil and overlies the Red Hamra. The living floor is located on top of the unconformity surface, separating the Red Hamra from the overlying Quartzic Gray Brown Soil. Middle to Late Acheulian handaxes, choppers, cores, and flake tools, including tools made by the Levallois technique, and man-laid flint pebbles were excavated in the human occupation bed. In addition, two elephant tusks, an elephant pelvis, an elephant tooth (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), tusk splinters, and bones of equid, suid, cervid, bovid, felid, and rodents were also collected. Based on well-documented nearby boreholes and on regional correlation, it appears that the underlying dune sands, the parent materials from which the Red Hamra developed, were deposited probably during a phase of high-stand sea level of Isotope Stage 9. The Red Hamra developed simultaneously with the human occupation of the site, probably during a phase of low-stand sea-level of Isotope Stage 8, before some 300–245 ka. The overlying dune sands, the parent materials from which the Quartzic Gray Brown Soil developed, were deposited probably during a phase of high-stand sea level of Isotope Stage 7. The climate prevailing in the area during Stage 8, as well as during the human habitation, was moist, with a dense vegetation cover of grassland and probably scattered trees. A small lake of trapped fresh water at a junction of two small tributaries of the Soreq River drainage system near the area occupied was available to hominids and animals. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Conversations with a naturalist: the life and geological work of Richard Ford 1913-1996

Richard Ford (1913-1996) was a noted entomologist and zoologist who ran the firm of Watkins and Doncaster, naturalist suppliers for many years. He made important palaeontological collections from many parts of Britain, but particularly from the Isle of Wight. He was involved in a number of dinosaur excavations, and discovered many notable fossils from the Tertiary of the island. These included Eocene snakes and a new species of frog, an Oligocene ungulate, various rodents, and rhinoceros teeth, and Pleistocene elephant teeth and tusks. This paper lists his principal donations to the Natural History Museum, London which number over 27,000 entomological and palaeontological specimens.

ESR dating of the type Cromerian freshwater bed at West Runton, U.K.

We performed ESR dating on tooth enamel from three in situ locations within the West Runton Freshwater Bed (FW) bed, which is stratigraphically below fluvial sands of Anglian origin. The teeth contained little uranium, which made ESR ages essentially independent of the choice of uranium uptake model. However, this advantage was offset by a critical dependence of the ESR ages upon the moisture content of the sediments. Care was taken to account for self-shielding effects arising from the large size of the elephant tooth. Using the value of 10% moisture content observed during 1992 in sediments exposed on the cliff face, gives ages of 346±55 (EU) and 350±52 (LU) ka, corresponding to the Oxygen Isotope Stage 11 10 boundary. Additional moisture content measurements of different parts of the FW bed in 1995 yielded a mean value of 25%. Using values of 20 and 30% moisture content, we obtain ages from 420±90 to 460±80 ka (EU, 1σ errors). Because the faunal and floral data indicate that the FW bed was an interglacial deposit, the ESR results suggest that the FW bed could have been deposited in either isotope stages 11 or 13. However, independent faunal and stratigraphic evidence favours a stage 13 age or earlier; this is discussed in relation to the ESR data. These results are consistent with prevailing views (e.g. Bridgland, 1994) that the overlying Anglian deposits correlate with oxygen isotope stage 12.

Quantitative Variation in Elephant Dentitions: Implications for the Delimitation of Fossil Species

Dental measurements are commonly used in the diagnosis of fossil elephant species, yet elephant teeth develop slowly, within a highly dynamic context that enhances opportunities for physical deformation (or its subtler manifestation, quantitative phenotypic variation). This paper examines intraspecific variation in elephant teeth and compares it with variability in other mammals (83 species in 7 orders). I conclude that (1) male elephants tend to have slightly larger cheek teeth than females, though the difference is not marked; (2) of the full complement of six cheek teeth per jaw quadrant, no single tooth consistently varies less than the others (so on this basis, for taxonomic decisions no tooth is preferable to the customarily used M3 = tooth VI); (3) single-population samples vary less than more inclusive, geographically heterogeneous samples of elephant teeth; (4) although differential wear and eruption are important sources of variation in dental measurements, complete elephant teeth are consistently more variable in length and width than the cheek teeth of other mammals; (5) variability in dental dimensions of recognized fossil species of elephants is in general not grossly inconsistent with variability noted in modern elephants, but there are some exceptions. With the information and guidelines presented here, consideration of variability, and assessment of the statistical power permitted by available samples, can enhance confidence and precision in the delimitation of species and provide a firmer basis for macroevolutionary inferences.

The Balderton Sand and Gravel: Pre‐Ipswichian cold stage fluvial deposits near Lincoln, England

AbstractThe Balderton Terrace marks a former course of the River Trent between Newark and the Lincoln Gap. The principal deposit, the Balderton Sand and Gravel, is interpreted as a braided river sediment. Ice wedge casts truncated by intraformational erosion surfaces at many levels indicate syndepositional permafrost. Remnant cover deposits overlying the Balderton Sand and Gravel include the partly aeolian Whisby Sand. Locally, both the upper part of the Balderton Sand and Gravel and the cover deposits exhibit features indicative of temperate climate pedogenesis. All these deposits are affected by subsequent cryoturbation. On the basis of these features and the geomorphological and topographical relationship to other terrace deposits of the area, the Balderton Sand and Gravel and Whisby Sand are regarded as post‐Hoxnian and pre‐lpswichian, i.e. Wolstonian. Electron spin resonance age determinations for fossil elephant teeth and amino acid analyses on molluscs from the Balderton Sand and Gravel suggest correlation with Oxygen Isotope Stage 6. The Balderton Sand and Gravel has yielded a cold‐climate mammalian fauna dominated by woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, though rarer species suggest periods of milder climate. Silts from channels near the base of the deposit have produced pollen, mollusc, ostracod and beetle assemblages also indicating a cold climate.

Fabricational noise in elephant dentitions

A marked retardation of dental ontogeny characterizes the family Elephantidae. As a consequence of this retardation, elephant teeth are subject to the forces of mastication, eruption, and progression while still in a developing and pliant stage. As specimens described here illustrate, the mechanical forces are often sufficient to deform the gross morphology of dentitions. Morphological variation in elephant teeth can be regarded as “fabricational noise”—revealing information about the dynamic context in which the teeth develop. Accordingly, dental variation is less species-specific in elephants than in other mammals. The fossil record may comprise fewer species of elephants than is generally believed, and trends inferred to reflect rapid evolution within this family may in fact reflect phenotypic plasticity.

ESR dating of elephant teeth and radiation dose rate estimation in soil

Chemical analysis of 238U, 232Th and 40K in the dentine as well as enamel of elephant tooth fossil has been carried out in order to estimate the internal absorbed dose rate of the specimens, which was estimated to be (39 ± 4) mrad/y on the assumption of early uptake model of radionuclides. The external radiation dose rate in the soil including the contribution from cosmic rays was also estimated to be (175 ± 18) mrad/y with the help of γ-ray spectroscopic techniques of the soil samples in which the specimens were buried. The 60Co γ-ray equivalent accumulated dose of (2 ± 0.2) × 10 4 rad for the tooth enamel gave “ESR age” of (9 ± 2) × 10 4 y, which falls in the geologically estimated range between 3 × 10 4 and 30 × 10 4 y before the present.

Dental identification and age determination in Elephas maximus

The dentition of an elephant (fossil or extant) can yield clues to the animal's age species identity, provided the teeth are correctly identified. Identifying the serial category of elephant teeth is difficult because the size, shape and position of each tooth changes throughout life, as the teeth form, erupt, wear and move throught the jaw. In the present study, teeth from over 100 museum specimens of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) were the basis for establishing size ranges for cheek teeth in six serial categories (designated by Roman numerals I to VI). Although the teeth vary greatly and overlap in their dimensions, reliable identifications (as well as estimates of an individual's age in years) can be obtained using three or more measurements. An appreciation for dental variability in Elephas maximus will demand a re‐evaluastion of frequently‐cited examples of macroevolutionary patterns within the Elephantidae.

Electron spin resonance dating of tooth enamel

The amplitude of the electron spin resonance (ESR) peak at g = 2.0018 for hydroxyapatite of fossil tooth enamel can be used to measure the acquired radiation dose (AD) and thus the time (T) since burial of the tooth in a sediment. No significant fading or saturation occurs up to at least 1 Ma, permitting dating of middle Pleistocene deposits. AD is determined by the additive-dose method, using a sufficiently large modulation amplitude to avoid the interference of organic free radicals, and a logarithmic transformation of the ESR intensity to correct for saturation effects. AD increases through time as a result of (1) constant irradiation by U, K, and Th in the surrounding sediment and by cosmic rays; (2) external irradiation by beta particles from U in the dentine; and (3) alpha and beta particles from U in the enamel. We derive an expression for AD(T) taking into account (1) approach to equilibrium between U and its long-lived daughters; and (2) T-dependent (early or linear) uptake of U by dentine or cement and by enamel, as well as the constant environmental radiation sources. T is determined by iteratively solving this expression to obtain the observed AD. An example is given of the dating of an elephant tooth from a preglacial deposit in Alberta: the calculated age is consistent with assignment to isotope stages 5c–5e.

Lost &amp; Found: 152. Museum of HASLAR Hospital, Gosport

In December 1985 Michael Barker and Polly Vergo (Portsmouth Polytechnic) with Theo Getty (Portsmouth Museum) visited Haslar Museum in Gosport, but with limited success. They report: *The whole of the geological collection was, during the last war, in the basement of a building which suffered a direct hit from German bombs. Apparently the building collapsed on top of the basement and everything was sealed in it. It is all still there but buried under rubble and with a new building on top of it! All the Museum has left in geological terms are a few vertebrate remains - ox, probable Indian elephant tooth (juvenile), and small lemur-like primates. These are in a display case but with...