Zygolophodon

Zygolophodon is an extinct genus of mammutid proboscidean that lived during the Miocene in Africa, Eurasia, and North America. It is suggested to be ancestral to Mammut, the genus containing the American mastodons.

== Description == left|thumb|Foot of "Mammut" borsoni|"Mammut" borsoni (left) and the forelimb anatomy of Zygolophodon turicensis (B), compared to "Mammut" borsoni (C) and the [[American mastodon (Mammut americanum) (D)]] left|thumb|Lower jaw of the "Unity" specimen of Zygolophodon proavus (OMSI 1946.02.1026), showing elongate mandibular symphysis and lower tusks As with other mammutids, the molars have a zygodont morphology. As is typical for early members of Elephantimorpha, the fused front region of the lower jaw (the mandibular symphysis) is primitively elongate and bears tusks/incisors, similar to Gomphotherium, as exhibited in specimens of species like Z. proavus, but in some individuals of Z. turicensis, the front part of the lower jaw is short and sometimes in addition lacks lower tusks. The upper tusks have enamel bands and are untwisted and downward curving, and outwardly diverge from each other. The jaws retained permanent premolar teeth. Species probably reached similar sizes to the American mastodon, with a shoulder height of estimated for the species Z. metachinjiensis.