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A partial skeleton of Deinotherium (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the late Middle Miocene Gratkorn locality (Austria)

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Abstract

A disarticulated, though still roughly associated partial Deinotherium skeleton from the late Middle Miocene (late Sarmatian sensu stricto; 12.2–12.0 Ma) Gratkorn locality (Austria) is described. Based on dimensions and morphology of the material it can be determined as a medium-sized taxon of Deinotheriidae and definitively assigned to the genus Deinotherium. This specimen from Gratkorn confirms the osteological differences in the postcrania between Prodeinotherium and Deinotherium. As the diagnostically important p/3 is missing on the specimen it can only be assigned to Deinotherium levius vel giganteum. The Gratkorn specimen is one of not many skeletons of a medium-sized taxon of Deinotheriidae and one of only a few well-dated late Middle Miocene occurrences in Central Europe with associated dental and postcranial material.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to P. Havlik (GPIT) for fruitful discussions and correction of the manuscript. G. Rössner (SNSB-BSPG), G. Scharfe (IGM), R. Ziegler (SMNS), H. Lutz (NHMM), T. Engel (NHMM), H. Stapf (SSN), N. Spassov (NMNHS), G. Markov (NMNHS), L. Hristova (NMNHS), M. Ivanov (PMSU) and P. Havlik (GPIT) are thanked for the help and access to comparison material. D. Vasilyan (University Tübingen) is thanked for the help with the Russian literature. W. Gerber (University Tübingen) and A. Schumacher (NHMW) are thanked for taking pictures. N. Winkler (UMJGP) is thanked for preparation of the material. Many thanks go to the reviewers, G. Markov (NMNHS) and M. Pickford (MNHN), who greatly supported the improvement of the manuscript with their careful comments and correction of the English. For improvement of the English we want to thank as well A. Beckmann (University Tübingen). And last but not least the authors want to thank the students and volunteers from Graz, Munich and Tübingen for the good work in the excavations from 2005 to 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Sigwartstraße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Manuela Aiglstorfer & Madelaine Böhme

  2. Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP), Sigwartstraße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Manuela Aiglstorfer & Madelaine Böhme

  3. Geologisch-Paläontologische Abteilung, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Burgring 7, 1010, Vienna, Austria

    Ursula B. Göhlich

  4. Universalmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Weinzöttlstraße 16, 8045, Graz, Austria

    Martin Gross

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  1. Manuela Aiglstorfer
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  2. Ursula B. Göhlich
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  3. Madelaine Böhme
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  4. Martin Gross
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Correspondence to Manuela Aiglstorfer.

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This article is a contribution to the special issue “The Sarmatian vertebrate locality Gratkorn, Styrian Basin.”

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Aiglstorfer, M., Göhlich, U.B., Böhme, M. et al. A partial skeleton of Deinotherium (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the late Middle Miocene Gratkorn locality (Austria). Palaeobio Palaeoenv 94, 49–70 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-013-0140-x

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