四稜齒象屬

四稜齒象屬; 化石时期：中新世至上新世，11.608–2.588 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
	全身骨架，展於河南省地質博物館
科学分类
界：	动物界 Animalia
门：	脊索动物门 Chordata
纲：	哺乳纲 Mammalia
目：	长鼻目 Proboscidea
科：	†互棱齒象科 Anancidae
属：	†四稜齒象屬 Tetralophodon; Falconer & Cautley, 1847
種
	†T. longirostris (Kaup, 1832) (type); †T. curvirostris (Bergounioux and Crouzel, 1960); †T. gigantorostris (Klähn, 1931); †T. punjabiensis (Lydekker, 1886); †T. xiaolongtanensis (Chow and Chang, 1974); †T. euryrostris (Wang, Saegusa, Duangkrayom, He, and Chen, 2017);

四稜齒象屬（學名：Tetralophodon）為長鼻目互棱齒象科下已滅絕的一屬^[2]^[3]^[4]。

描述

四稜齒象復原圖

四稜齒象（T. longirostris）顱骨與象牙化石，展於西班牙巴塞隆納地質博物館

四稜齒象為現代象的近親，生存於中新世晚期至上新世中期^[5]，共約1,090萬年。

和嵌齒象一樣，四稜齒象具有象鼻及兩對獠牙，肩高約為2.58—3.45米（8.5—11.3英尺），體重可達10 t（9.8 long ton；11 short ton）^[6]，大於現存的亞洲象。

四稜齒象的頰齒具有四個牙尖，大小約為60 mm（2.4英寸）x80 mm（3.1英寸），大約是人類牙齒的六倍大，屬於低齒冠的丘齒，適合咬碎和研磨植物組織與果實，而其他同時期的草食哺乳動物則多半仍僅具有能切斷組織的牙齒。巨大的體型加上長象鼻讓四稜齒象能取食到高樹上的果實。臼齒的型態比起嵌齒象更為特化，近似於現存的大象。

棲息與分佈地

四稜齒象曾是十分成功的長鼻目物種，廣泛分佈於中新世晚期至上新世中期的歐洲、亞洲與非洲，所發現的化石大多為牠們的臼齒。於2007年，原本發現於北美洲的四稜齒象屬物種T. campester與T. fricki被改分類至新的屬Pediolophodon（英语：Pediolophodon）下^[7]。

參考文獻

^ Shi-Qi Wang; Haruo Saegusa; Jaroon Duangkrayom; Wen He; Shan-Qin Chen (2017). "A new species of Tetralophodon from the Linxia Basin and the biostratigraphic significance of tetralophodont gomphotheres from the Upper Miocene of northern China". Palaeoworld. in press. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2017.03.005
^ J. Shoshani and P. Tassy. 2005. Advances in proboscidean taxonomy & classification, anatomy & physiology, and ecology & behavior. Quaternary International 126-128:5-20
^ J. Shoshani and P. Tassy. 1996. Summary, conclusions, and a glimpse into the future. in J. Shoshani and P. Tassy, eds., The Proboscidea: Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and Their Relatives 335-348
^ Mothé D, Ferretti MP, Avilla LS (2016) "The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha". PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147009. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147009
^ ON THE SUBDIVISIONS AND EVOLUTION OF THE QUATERNARY MAMMALIAN FAUNAS OF SOUTH CHINA--《Certebrata Palasiatica》1981年01期. en.cnki.com.cn. [2016-06-12]. （原始内容存档于2021-01-14）.
^ Larramendi, A. Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 2016, 61 [2021-08-02]. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014  . （原始内容存档 (PDF)于2016-08-24）.
^ Lambert, W. D. New tetralophodont gomphothere material from Nebraska and its implications for the status of North American Tetralophodon. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2007, 27 (3): 676–682. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[676:NTGMFN]2.0.CO;2.

[1] Shi-Qi Wang; Haruo Saegusa; Jaroon Duangkrayom; Wen He; Shan-Qin Chen (2017). "A new species of Tetralophodon from the Linxia Basin and the biostratigraphic significance of tetralophodont gomphotheres from the Upper Miocene of northern China". Palaeoworld. in press. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2017.03.005

[2] J. Shoshani and P. Tassy. 2005. Advances in proboscidean taxonomy & classification, anatomy & physiology, and ecology & behavior. Quaternary International 126-128:5-20

[3] J. Shoshani and P. Tassy. 1996. Summary, conclusions, and a glimpse into the future. in J. Shoshani and P. Tassy, eds., The Proboscidea: Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and Their Relatives 335-348

[4] Mothé D, Ferretti MP, Avilla LS (2016) "The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha". PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147009. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147009

[5] ON THE SUBDIVISIONS AND EVOLUTION OF THE QUATERNARY MAMMALIAN FAUNAS OF SOUTH CHINA--《Certebrata Palasiatica》1981年01期. en.cnki.com.cn. [2016-06-12]. （原始内容存档于2021-01-14）.

[probos_mass-6] Larramendi, A. Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 2016, 61 [2021-08-02]. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014  . （原始内容存档 (PDF)于2016-08-24）.

[lambert-7] Lambert, W. D. New tetralophodont gomphothere material from Nebraska and its implications for the status of North American Tetralophodon. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2007, 27 (3): 676–682. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[676:NTGMFN]2.0.CO;2.

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