TEETH OF ANIMALS OF ORDER PROBOSCIDEA: MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTIC (ON THE BASIS OF THE COLLECTION OF THE PALEONTOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF IVAN FRANKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LVIV – A SCIENTIFIC OBJECT OF THE NATIONAL HERITAGE)

Abstract

Fossil material represented by Proboscidea teeth is significantly common and known on all continents, including Ukraine. They differ from other mammals in morphology and are considered one of the most complex. In the structure of the proboscis tooth, dentin plates surrounded by enamel are isolated. A series of these plates (crowns) held together by dentin form a tooth. The number of plates in each tooth is determined by the type and age of the tooth. At the base of the tooth there is a root that held the tooth in place. Numerous finds and many years of research have proven that this is an informative material that contributes to obtaining answers to a wide range of questions – not only determining the distribution areas of individual individuals, but also the age categories of taxa, animal diet, paleoecological characteristics of territories. An audit and comparative analysis of animal teeth from a number of Proboscidea, the collection of the Ivan Franko LNU Paleontological Museum, which is a scientific object that has received the status of a national treasure, was carried out. 32 molars of proboscis originating from the territory of the West of Ukraine (New Section, Glinyany, Lviv) were analyzed. Studies of the morphology of elephant teeth made it possible to find out their systematic affiliation. It is determined that the collection contains molars of the genera Loxodonta (African elephants), Elephas (Asian elephants) and Mammuthus (Mammuthus), as well as to find the age category of animals that owned molars. Molars of such age categories are present in the collection of teeth: Loxodonta africana – M2, Elephas maximus – M4, Mammuthus primigenius – M2–M5, Mammuthus trogonterii – M6. The more complex structure of molars is fixed in the morphology of late teeth. Assumptions have been made regarding the diet of elephants and its effect on the morphology of the dental system. Enamel thickness, number of dental boards, crown height are a set of features that can be indicators of the rigidity or softness of food.