Changes

The skull was very elongated and reached a length of 31 to 35 inches for smaller species and 47 to 51 inches for the large representatives.  The flat forehead was lower, giving the skull a more elongated appearance versus typical elephants; the skull bones also had air-filled spaces typical of mammals to reduce the weight of the head.   

The skull was very elongated and reached a length of 31 to 35 inches for smaller species and 47 to 51 inches for the large representatives.  The flat forehead was lower, giving the skull a more elongated appearance versus typical elephants; the skull bones also had air-filled spaces typical of mammals to reduce the weight of the head.   

Possibly the most striking feature of ''Deinotherium'' was the tusks in the elongated lower jaw, which had a downward bent shape, with the tips partially running almost vertically. In the larger species of ''Deinotherium'', however, the curvature was also more pronounced and the tips pointed backward.  The tusks were formed from the first incisor teeth, and reached a length of 4.5 feet, and were slightly compressed laterally, giving them an oval cross-section.  The size of the cross-section varied between 5.1 and 6.6 inches in large animals.  In sharp contrast the tusks of the upper jaw, which were and are particularly pronounced both in today's elephants as well as in numerous fossil elephants (such as mammoths and gomphotheres), were entirely missing in ''Deinotherium''.

Possibly the most striking feature of ''Deinotherium'' was the tusks in the elongated lower jaw, which had a downward bent shape, with the tips partially running almost vertically. In the larger species of ''Deinotherium'', however, the curvature was also more pronounced and the tips pointed backward.  The tusks were formed from the first incisor teeth, and reached a length of 4.5 feet, and were slightly compressed laterally, giving them an oval cross-section which varied between 5.1 and 6.6 inches in large animals.  In sharp contrast the tusks of the upper jaw - particularly pronounced both in today's elephants as well as in numerous fossil elephants - were entirely missing in ''Deinotherium''.

===Species===

===Species===

==Paleobiology==

==Paleobiology==

Lack of organic remains other than skeletons have left researchers to speculate on the animal's overall appearance and lifestyle.  The partial almost horizontal position of the intermaxal bone on the upper side of the skull caused the questioning of the length of the trunk; it was speculated that in ''Deinotherium'' it did not reach the length of elephants of today, and was more of a tube than a trunk.  For this reason, some researchers reconstruct a rather [[tapir]]-like short trunk.  Since, however, late representatives of ''Deinotherium'' were very large and possessed a long but comparatively short neck, the trunk must have been so long that the animals could reach much-needed drinking water when the head was lowered.  Furthermore, due to the structure of the lower jaw, it is speculated that ''Deinotherium'' had a particularly pronounced lower lip.  

Lack of organic remains other than skeletons have left researchers to speculate on the animal's overall appearance and lifestyle.  The partial almost horizontal position of the intermaxal bone on the upper side of the skull caused the questioning of the length of the trunk; it was speculated that in ''Deinotherium'' it did not reach the length of elephants of today, and was more of a tube than a trunk.  For this reason, some researchers reconstruct a rather [[tapir]]-like short trunk.  Since late representatives of ''Deinotherium'' were very large and possessed a long but comparatively short neck, the trunk must have been so long that the animals could reach much-needed drinking water when the head was lowered.  Furthermore, due to the structure of the lower jaw, it is speculated that ''Deinotherium'' had a particularly pronounced lower lip.  

Both the physique, especially the long, slender legs and the more mobile head, as well as the dentition, characterize ''Deinotherium'' as inhabitants of forests and floodplains.  Particularly the low crown height of the molar teeth and their construction from pointed grate-like crossbars with clearly sunken valleys in between are typical for animals which prefer soft plant nutrition.<ref>http://eco.ibcas.ac.cn/group/lingh/siep/pdf/StaleIsotopesyueduwenxian/Cerlingetal1999(364-374).pdf</ref>  Leaves, branches and bark were thus available as food sources, and that it was a browser for this food material has been confirmed by isotope investigations on the molar teeth.<ref>https://hal.inria.fr/hal-00865276/document</ref>  ''Deinotherium'' may also have lived in open, grassy areas due to climatic cooling, which would also explain their enormous size.

Both the physique, especially the long, slender legs and the more mobile head, as well as the dentition, characterize ''Deinotherium'' as inhabitants of forests and floodplains.  Particularly the low crown height of the molar teeth and their construction of pointed grate-like crossbars with clearly sunken valleys in between are typical for animals which prefer soft plant nutrition.<ref>http://eco.ibcas.ac.cn/group/lingh/siep/pdf/StaleIsotopesyueduwenxian/Cerlingetal1999(364-374).pdf</ref>  Leaves, branches and bark were thus available as food sources, and that it was a browser for this food material has been confirmed by isotope investigations on the molar teeth.<ref>https://hal.inria.fr/hal-00865276/document</ref>  ''Deinotherium'' may also have lived in open, grassy areas due to climatic cooling, which would also explain their enormous size.

For a long time the function of the tusks was discussed, with a semi-aquatic way of life originally assumed, the tusks serving as digging tools in swampy forests.  This was discarded due to the fact that ''Deinotherium'' would have to kneel to bring its chin low enough for the tusks to engage in digging.  As leaf-eaters, they preferred bushes and tree tops as food sources, with branches pulled down with the tusks and broken off.

For a long time the function of the tusks was discussed, with a semi-aquatic way of life originally speculated, the tusks serving as digging tools in swampy forests.  This was discarded due to the fact that ''Deinotherium'' would have to kneel to bring its chin low enough for the tusks to engage in digging.  As leaf-eaters, they preferred bushes and tree tops as food sources; it is theorized that the animals would use their tusks to break off lower branches.

==Evolutionary claims==

==Evolutionary claims==