Palaeoloxodon falconeri

Palaeoloxodon falconeri derives from the 4 metre tall straight-tusked elephant (P. antiquus), which arrived in Europe approximately 800,000 years ago. The oldest radiometrically dated fossils of Palaeoloxodon on Sicily date to around 500,000 years ago while the ones found in Għar Dalam on Malta date to around 450,000 years ago. P. falconeri's ancestors most likely reached Sicily from the Italian mainland, likely via a series of islands that now form part of the southern Calabrian peninsula.[3] The chronology of the species compared to that of the larger endemic species of Palaeoloxodon on Sicily, the 2 m (6.6 ft) tall Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis, is somewhat uncertain. It is generally thought that P. falconeri is the earlier species dating to the Middle Pleistocene, and that P. mnaidriensis descends from a separate late Middle Pleistocene colonisation of the island by P. antiquus.[4][3] P. falconeri also occurs on Malta, but is generally shorter making it a possible subspecies. It likely dispersed to Malta from Sicily during episodes of low sea level.[3]

In 1867, George Busk had proposed the species Elephas falconeri for many of the smallest molars selected from the material originally ascribed by Hugh Falconer to Palaeoloxodon melitensis for the Maltese dwarf elephant, a possible subspecies of P. falconeri.[5][2]

Size comparison of Palaeoloxon falconeri compared to a human

This island-bound elephant was an example of insular dwarfism, with an adult male specimen MPUR/V n1 measured 96.5 cm (3 ft 2.0 in) in shoulder height and weighed about 305 kg (672 lb), and an adult female specimen MPUR/V n2 measured 80 cm (2 ft 7.5 in) in shoulder height and weighed about 168 kg (370 lb).[6] Female members of the species were tuskless.[3] Paleohistology demonstrates that despite its small size, it grew very slowly, reaching maturity at around 15 years of age, with some individuals reaching a lifespan of 68 years, comparable to full-sized elephants.[7]

• Dwarf elephant