deinotherium giganteum, a giant elephant-like animal, one of the largest mammals to ever live. it did not belong to the modern elephant family elephantidae, but it was closely related. it had longer, more slender limbs than modern elephants, as well as a slightly longer, more flexible neck. it also had a longer snout, which modern elephants lack entirely. instead of tusks on the upper mandible like elephantidae, its tusks were on the lower mandible and curved downward due to the mandible itself curving downward. presumably, these tusks were used mostly to tear branches and scrape plants or soil. its longer snout meant likely a thicker or more muscular trunk at the base. a giant, hot-climate animal related to elephants, it was clearly a pachyderm and would have had similarly hairless, leathery skin. i depicted it with larger ears and loose, saggy skin to increase surface area for heat dissipation. drawn in a cartoony style against a simple background of a tree and sunset.
deinotherium giganteum
(deinotheriidae, proboscidea)
i was a little lazy with the background but oh well. i’ve been wanting to draw deinotherium for a while and now i figured it out!
#paleoart #paleontology #deinotherium #elephant #animalart
