四棱齿象属

四棱齿象属; 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，展于河南省地质博物馆
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：	†互棱齿象科 Anancidae
属：	†四棱齿象属 Tetralophodon; Falconer & Cautley, 1847
种
	†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);

四棱齿象属（学名：Tetralophodon）为长鼻目互棱齿象科下已灭绝的一属^[2]^[3]^[4]。

描述

四棱齿象复原图

四棱齿象（T. longirostris）颅骨与象牙化石，展于西班牙巴塞隆纳地质博物馆

四棱齿象为现代象的近亲，生存于中新世晚期至上新世中期^[5]，共约1,090万年。

和嵌齿象一样，四棱齿象具有象鼻及两对獠牙，肩高约为2.58—3.45米（8.5—11.3英尺），体重可达10 t（9.8 long ton；11 short ton）^[6]，大于现存的亚洲象。

四棱齿象的颊齿具有四个牙尖，大小约为60 mm（2.4英寸）x80 mm（3.1英寸），大约是人类牙齿的六倍大，属于低齿冠的丘齿，适合咬碎和研磨植物组织与果实，而其他同时期的草食哺乳动物则多半仍仅具有能切断组织的牙齿。巨大的体型加上长象鼻让四棱齿象能取食到高树上的果实。臼齿的型态比起嵌齿象更为特化，近似于现存的大象。

栖息与分布地

四棱齿象曾是十分成功的长鼻目物种，广泛分布于中新世晚期至上新世中期的欧洲、亚洲与非洲，所发现的化石大多为它们的臼齿。于2007年，原本发现于北美洲的四棱齿象属物种T. campester与T. fricki被改分类至新的属Pediolophodon（英语：Pediolophodon）下^[7]。

参考文献

^ 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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