|
Jul 17, 2015  Asier Larramendi / Asier Larramendi For decades, an extinct group of rhinos have been universally recognized as the biggest land mammals of all time. Some 34 million to 23 million years ago, the hornless Paraceratherium genus dwelled in what’s now central Asia. Thus far, we’ve discovered at least three species. Given their long necks and tall builds, these herbivores invite vague comparisons with modern giraffes. In fact, just like the spotted leaf-eaters, Paraceratherium might’ve used strong, grasping lips to yank down tree branches. At roughly 18.7 tons, the heaviest adults were giants in every sense of the word. But new research suggests two mammals were bigger. According to a new study, Palaeoloxodon namadicus, which once roamed India, China and Japan and is closely akin to the modern Asian elephant, was a 24-ton colossus, 16 feet tall at the shoulder. And Mammut borsoni, a European mastodon, was 13.5 feet tall, and especially big ones weighed at least as much as the rhinos, and possibly more. If the study is correct, that means Palaeoloxodon namadicus is the biggest land mammal to have ever walked the Earth. Collectively, elephants and their prehistoric cousins are called proboscideans. Enormous as today’s varieties are, they’d almost look puny alongside these bygone species. Yet, there’s no sure-fire way to figure out exactly how tall or massive those deceased behemoths could get. So paleontologist Asier Larramendi compared the bones of 24 species, living and extinct. (For Palaeoloxodon namadicus, he had only a single femur to work with.) He developed digital models based on this data, and then calculated the new weight and height estimates. At such an impressive size, Palaeoloxodon namadicus would’ve not only outweighed Paraceratherium, but possibly certain long-necked dinosaurs like Camarasaurus as well. The behemoth died out around 24,000 years ago. Satao (c. 1968 – 30 May 2014) was one of Kenya's largest African elephants. He was known as a tusker because his tusks were so long that they almost touched the ground. The Tsavo Trust announced that Satao was killed by poachers using a poisoned arrow on 30 May 2014.
Satao, one of Kenya's tuskers Satao was an African elephant that lived in Tsavo East National Park, one of the largest wildlife parks in the world with a large population of elephants. He was thought to have been born during the late 1960s and to have been at least 45 years old when he was killed. He was estimated to be one of the largest elephants in the world at the time of his death and has been described as one of Kenya's most iconic and well-known tuskers (i.e., male elephants with tusks that almost reach the ground). Satao's tusks were over 6.5 feet (2.0 m) long[1] and he was estimated to be the largest of the few remaining tuskers living in Kenya.[2][3][4][5][6] It is believed that all of the remaining tuskers are in Kenya.[1] Elephant ivory poaching is a huge problem in Africa. In 2013, over 20,000 African elephants were slaughtered for their ivory. The slaughter of African elephants is driven by the black market value of elephant ivory. The illicit trade in ivory is primarily in Asia where ivory sells for several thousands of dollars per kilo.[7] Satao's tusks were estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kg) each.[2][3][4][5][6] Since 2007, the illegal trade in ivory had doubled. While China is the largest market, the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are also top markets for illegal ivory.[8] The increase in poaching is driven in large part by organised crime and rebel groups seeking ways to fund insurgencies in Africa.[9] Due to the great value of his tusks on the black market, Satao had been under nearly constant surveillance by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Tsavo trust for the 18 months prior to June 2014. He typically remained in a small area of the park, but had started roaming into areas of the park where poaching was high.[8] Because he roamed into a large 390-square-mile area (1,000 km2),[1] a dangerous area for poaching with thick vegetation, and because of the constant poaching attempts driven by organised crime and rebel militias, the KWS and the Tsavo Trust could not prevent poachers from reaching Satao.[2][3][4][10][5][6][9] Also, Satao was featured in the Apple TV+ original The Elephant Queen. However, during filming of the documentary, Satao was killed by the poachers. In March 2014, Satao was found with two seeping wounds in his flank from poisoned arrows shot into him, which were confirmed by veterinarians who rushed to the scene to treat him. After a number of days, Satao recovered from his festering wounds.[3] Satao was last spotted alive on 19 May 2014.[11] On 2 June, 2014, Richard Moller of the Tsavo Trust found a huge elephant carcass lying in a swamp near the boundary of Tsavo East National Park. The tusks had been cut off and the face was badly mutilated, so the carcass could not be identified with certainty at that time. For about 10 days, Moller and Kenya Wildlife Service searched for Satao before concluding that he was dead. He was killed by a poisoned arrow shot deep into his left flank on 30 May 2014.[2][3][4][5][6][11] Satao was officially declared dead on 13 June, 2014 and the Tsavo Trust released the following statement announcing his death:[1]
Satao was a victim of the illegal ivory trade where ivory is commonly poached and sold by terrorist organizations to China, which has the largest market for ivory in the world.[12][13][14] On 20 June 2014, Kenya Wildlife Services reported that service rangers arrested three suspects for killing Satao. Paul Muya, a spokesperson for the Kenya Wildlife Services, said that they were tracked down based on intelligence the Service had acquired.[15] The death of Satao resulted in a public outpouring of support for policy to reduce poaching. In New Orleans, a TV Show was created named "AWE for Awesome Wildlife Effort" to interview artists, such as Anne London, on educating the public regarding endangered species. A unit called "The Great Tuskers of AWE"[16] was created to march in Mardi Gras parades with a large fiberglass elephant float and The Krewe of Tusk and Horn[17] marched on World Animal Day in the French Quarter. In neighboring Kenner, Louisiana, a 16-foot tall elephant sculpture was erected.[18]
|
What was the biggest elephant that ever lived?
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 estudarpara Inc.
