Tag Archives: Stegomastodon

An elephant shakes a tree

Posted on June 9, 2017 by twilightbeasts

Mammoths get all the attention. Like an annoying younger sibling, they hog a limelight that should be more equally shared. Occasionally, the mastodon gets a whisp of publicity, which is notable mostly for its rarity. The vast family of proboscideans … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbian Mammoth, Deinotherium, Extinction, Hippopotamus, Mastodon, Palaeoloxodon, Stegodon, Steppe Mammoth, Woolly Mammoth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Forever young

Posted on May 30, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Being conscious of our own mortality has given our species an unhealthy fascination with immortality. Over the millennia we have conjured up stories of everlasting beings, some of which even allow us to follow them after we have died. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Key Deer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The strangest animals ever discovered

Posted on March 18, 2015 by twilightbeasts

I love reading through Charles Darwin’s diaries. Who wouldn’t? Written in his early 20s, Darwin writes detailed accounts of his days on board HMS Beagle. For me, these are accounts of fantastic, real, adventures: travelling where no Englishman had travelled … Continue reading →

Posted in Macrauchenia, Toxodon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The lolloping shovel mouth

Posted on July 16, 2014 by twilightbeasts

My first introduction to gomphotheres was a research critique of a seminal Quaternary paper by Janzen in ‘Science’ journal. Something about these peculiar and ungainly looking distant cousins of today’s noble elephant fascinated me! Everyone has of course heard of woolly … Continue reading →

Posted in Gompothere | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments