The ancient and powerful Titans
3 Mysterious Extinct Elephant Subspecies
Of all the animals, the one that has captivated humanity the most for millennia has been the elephant.
Present creationist myths, in historical facts and in artistic works of ancient civilizations, These animals have been quite crucial in various areas from training for agriculture to war, being crucial in several aspects, but there are also gaps that have not yet been clarified, like that of 3 mysterious subspecies of elephants that have not yet been fully clarified, let's learn about these enigmatic proboscideans, without further ado, let's begin.
The Carthaginian elephant
This presumably inhabited the forests of North Africa, especially the Atlas Mountains, described as an animal of not very large size, teMeasuring an average height of 1.80 to 2.10 meters tall, having smaller ears and tusks than their larger African cousins, It was possible that it was more docile, being tamed by the Carthaginians with some unknown method.
This species was supposedly used by Egyptian, Ethiopian and Libyan kings as a war mount and was later used in the Roman coliseum as a show animal, However, the species would be widely known after the Carthaginian general Hannibal used them as a war mount during his campaign against Rome, and also for the journey that was carried out with them through the Alps.
It is unknown how and when it became extinct, although the theory is that it was all because of the Roman hunt and their use as animals for the coliseum shows, although it is speculated that they could have lived in Sudan and Eritrea until the mid-19th century, but there is no evidence of this.
It is currently debated whether this was a species in its own right or a subspecies, but due to the lack of DNA this is not known.
the chinese elephant
With the proposed name Elephas Maximus rubridens, it was a controversial type of elephant that supposedly inhabited China until not long ago.
As he lived in central and southern china, in the leizhou peninsula and guangxi province, even reaching northern sectors, reaching the north of the Anyang and Henan region, It is described as a robust animal, darker than the common elephant and even having somewhat pink tusks, for which he came to be hunted, since they were widely used in Chinese art.
It is also possible that the Shang dynasty of China had trained elephants for war around that time, since it is known that there were elephants trained by humans in the Yellow River area, It possibly became extinct between 1400 and 1500 AD, with nothing left except works of art and texts referring to this animal, since few valid remains have been found today, leaving everything a mystery.
Syrian elephant
Scientifically named Elephas Maximus asurus, it was a supposed subspecies of the Asian elephant, which lived throughout the Middle East, to the strip of the Mediterranean Sea and Turkey adjacent to Europe.
Described as an animal slightly larger than the Asian elephant, measuring 3.5 meters or more in height at the shoulders. The bone remains do not show any major difference with respect to Indian elephants, except for size, This species is widely mentioned in Syrian, Roman, Persian, Greek history books, among other cultures, used in different activities and as war cargo animals, But, and his fangs used for art, why is he here?.
It turns out that there is some controversy, since there are no paleontological records of elephants, or rather, a lull from hundreds of thousands of years ago until about 6,000 years ago, Therefore, it is believed that these elephants were not native to the area, but were imports brought to the Middle East from India, Furthermore, the fossils that we have do not provide much information to know if this subspecies was typical of those areas or was brought from more eastern lands.
Conclusions
How we can see those three elephants is very doubtful, leaving his existence and his close and distant relationships as a mystery, the first two being very difficult to verify since there are no remains and the last one in itself is unknown whether or not it is native to that area, We can only hope that more precise studies are carried out or that remains are found that define whether these animals were real or not.
[Reading links]
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephas_maximus_asurus
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loxodonta_africana_pharaoensis
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephas_maximus_rubridens
https://www.expertoanimal.com/tipos-de-elefantes-y-sus-caracteristicas-24613.html
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