Palaeoloxodon cypriotes

Palaeoloxodon cypriotes is an extinct species of dwarf elephant that lived on the island of Cyprus during the Late Pleistocene. A probable descendant of the straight-tusked elephant of mainland Europe and West Asia, it is among the smallest known dwarf elephants, with fully grown individuals about one metre tall at the shoulder and weighing around 200 kilograms, a reduction of about 98 percent from its ancestors. With the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus it was one of only two large animal species on the island and had no natural predators. It is probably descended from Palaeoloxodon xylophagou. Dorothea Bate made the first recorded finds in 1902, and remains are now known from over 20 localities across Cyprus. The species became extinct around 12,000 years ago, around the time humans first colonised Cyprus, and possible but disputed evidence of human hunting has been found.