Elephantimorpha

Elephantimorpha is a clade of proboscideans that contains the Mammutidae (true mastodons), as well as Elephantida, including amebelodonts, choerolophodonts, gomphotheres, stegodontids and elephantids. All members of Elephantimorpha have the horizontal tooth replacement typical of modern elephants, where the cheek teeth progressively migrate forwards in the jaw like a conveyor belt. This a distinctive characteristic of this group (synapomorphy) and is not found in more primitive non-elephantimorph Elephantiformes. Members of Elephantida are distinguished from mammutids by the reduced angular pr