Longer mandible or nose? Co-evolution of feeding organs in early elephantiforms
C. Li, T. Deng, Y. Wang, F. Sun, B. Wolff, Q. Jiangzuo, J. Ma, L. Xing, J. Fu, J. Zhang, S. Wang
This study investigates the co-evolution of feeding organs in early elephantiforms, finding that feeding function shifted from the mandible to the trunk, enabling proboscideans to expand into new ecological niches.
bioRxiv · Aug 15, 2023Paleontology