Draft:Dermambulodon
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Last edited by SunDawn (talk | contribs) 5 months ago. (Update) |
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| Dermambulodon Temporal range:
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Family: | Dermambulodontidae |
| Genus: | †Dermambulodon Afridi, 2024 |
| Type species | |
| †Dermambulodon riamus Afridi, 2024
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Dermambulodon ("skin-walking tooth") is an extinct genus of proboscidean belonging to Dermambulodontidae, a family of meat-eating proboscideans. The genus contains a single species, Dermambulodon riamus and is known from the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, making it the earliest proboscidean described. Problematically, compared to basal proboscideans, such as Eritherium, it is very derived like modern members of the order, either meaning proboscideans evolved earlier than thought prior to the animal's discovery, or as hypothesised as conspiracy theories, the descendants of proboscideans that were transported to the Maastrichtian by an unknown force.
Discovery, cultural significance and naming[edit]
The holotype, NHMUK R-84257, nicknamed "Trunkenstein", was discovered in 1998 and is known from a femur, a scapula, a partial set of neural spines and ribs and an almost-complete skull. It is also notable for being discovered within the partial skeleton of a Triceratops, which is not part of the specimen itself. The holotype also contained the remains of an Acheroraptor, presumably a last meal for the proboscidean before it died. 23 years before it was described, Dermambulodon made an appearance in the Discovery Channel documentary, When Dinosaurs Roamed America, depicted as herding animals donning Triceratops hide, with elephant trumpets and roars as sound design, although not mentioned themselves. Dermambulodontids would be featured in other Discovery Channel documentaries over the years, such as Dinosaur Planet. It was not until 2024 that the holotype would be described as part of the aforementioned species and family by Mikail Afridi and colleagues that year.
Description[edit]
With proportions based on gomphotheres which the species is probably related to, the holotype would've been roughly 2.5 meters in height and 3 tonnes in weight. The build of Dermambulodon was lean compared to other proboscideans, presumably to fit inside the carcasses of dinosaurs such as Triceratops. The dentition was ziphodont, with the tusks slightly convergent and knife-like, adapted for a carnivorous lifestyle. The holotype is estimated to be approximately 20 years old when it died.
Paleoecology[edit]
Dermambulodon lived in the Hell Creek Formation during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch, with the theropod Tyrannosaurus, the ceratopsian Triceratops, the hadrosaur Edmontosaurus and other animals. As a dermambulodontid, Dermambulodon had a carnivorous diet, which in its case, included dinosaurs of any size. Hence its English name, it's also known to have worn the skins of these dinosaurs, likely as a form of aggressive mimicry to lure species of the skin it wore to their demise. The knife-like tusks were probably used to cut into its large prey, causing severe blood loss, and also to carve the corpses of its victims into attire. Analysis of the tusks of the holotype suggest that it underwent musth, similar to modern bull elephants and suggesting that the individual too was a bull. If the aforementioned conspiracy theory about the origin of the species is correct, then Dermambulodon would've been the first ever invasive species and one of the causes behind the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs in North America.