Stegodon (from the Ancient Greek στέγω (stégō), meaning "to cover", and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning "tooth", named for the distinctive ridges on the animal's molars) is an extinct genus of proboscidean, related to elephants.

Stegodon may have looked superficially very familiar to us, but its direct ancestors lived even before Asian elephants, African elephants, and mammoths began their separate evolutionary journeys.

A Stegodon is an extinct genus of proboscidean, often mistaken for elephants or mammoths, but it’s a distinct lineage that roamed Asia during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs.

Dwarf species of elephants and Stegodon have been found on the islands of Indonesia and the Philippines, with dwarfed species of Stegodon also having been found in Japan.

Mar 14, 2025 · The genus Stegodon, (from Greek stegos: meaning roof, and odon: meaning tooth, refering to the step ridges on the molar tooth) belongs to belongs to the family Stegodontidae (which belongs to the true Mastodons, Mastodontoidea), and has its origins in the late Miocene of Asia.

Jun 15, 2022 · The stegodon was a forest dweller while the Asian elephant ate vegetation from both open savanna and wood. Diet may have been the primary culprit for stegodon's extinction.

Stegodon aurorae is an extinct species of Stegodon known from Early Pleistocene (2.0 Ma – 1.0 Ma) of Japan and possibly Taiwan. [7][8]: 487 It appears to be an insular dwarf species, exhibiting smaller body size than its mainland ancestors.

Stegodons are considered to be closely related to elephants. Certain similarities to elephants result from convergent evolution that leads to similar morphological features as those shown by elephants. These include the relatively short skull and folded molars, which are reminiscent of today’s elephants.

Apr 6, 2016 · The world’s oldest fossil of the elephant ancestor, Stegodon, has been found in China, suggesting that they only later migrated to Africa.

Jul 28, 2016 · By comparing the results with information from modern ruminants (deer, antelopes and oxen) of known diet, the study concluded two extinct elephant genera from southern China – Sinomastodon and Stegodon – were primarily browsing on leaves.