New Moeritherium material from the Fayum area, Egypt

Abstract

The Fayum province, northeastern Desert Egypt, is considered to be one of the best localities in Africa for studying Eocene – Oligocene vertebrate evolution. It is the richest site for Moeritherium, which consists of extensive cranial and postcranial remains. Moeritherium is an extinct genus of primitive mammals that represents an early stage in the evolution of elephants. The anterior incisors were strongly developed in the upper and lower jaws, representing a stage in the development of the familiar elephant tusks. The Upper Palaeogene succession in the Fayum Province consists of nearshore marine and fluvial Upper Eocene Qasr El Sagha Formation overlain by fluvial Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation and Widan El Faras Basalt. This study focuses on a new specimen of Moeritherium from the Fayum depression. During the Eocene, Moeritherium has been reported from Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Oman. During the Oligocene, they were reported from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Angola. The appearance and disappearance of Moeritherium in Egypt or even Africa is still a big puzzle.