16/07/2026
"Meet the Proboscidea Evolution" / "Meet the Proboscidea." They present an evolutionary timeline of elephant ancestors, stacked from top to bottom, oldest species at the bottom and modern elephants at the top. Each species is shown as a digitally illustrated animal walking through a landscape that reflects its era, with the background gradually transitioning through different biomes and lighting (misty tropical wetlands at the bottom, up through savanna, forest, and icy tundra scenes, ending in a golden African sunset at the top). Each animal has a bold white caption beneath it with its scientific name and the geological epoch it lived in.
**Image 1** shows this lineup (bottom to top):
- Eritherium azzouzorum (Paleocene Epoch) — a small, rodent-like early ancestor
- Phosphatherium escuilliei (Early Eocene) — a small, pig-like creature near water
- Moeritherium lyonsi (Eocene Epoch) — a hippo-like semi-aquatic animal
- Phiomia serridens (Oligocene Epoch) — a tapir-like animal with a short trunk and tusks
- Gomphotherium productum (Miocene Epoch) — a larger, four-tusked elephant relative
- Deinotherium giganteum (Pliocene Epoch) — an elephant with distinctive downward-curving tusks
- Mammut americanum (the American mastodon, Pleistocene Epoch) — a shaggy, tusked forest dweller in a snowy pine landscape
- Mammuthus primigenius (the woolly mammoth, Late Pleistocene) — shown against icy glaciers with long curved tusks
- Loxodonta africana (the modern African elephant, Present Day) — shown at the top in a golden savanna sunset
**Image 2** shows a similar but slightly different lineup with added timeframes (bottom to top):
- Eritherium azzouzorum (Late Paleocene, ~60 mya) — a small badger-like creature on cracked earth
- Numidotherium koholense (Early–Middle Eocene, ~46 mya) — a small tapir-like animal
- Moeritherium lyonsi (Late Eocene–Early Oligocene, ~37 mya) — hippo-like, wading in water
- Palaeomastodon beadnelli (Early–Late Oligocene, ~30 mya) — an early tusked mastodon relative
- Gomphotherium angustidens (Early–Late Miocene, ~15 mya) — a four-tusked elephant ancestor
- Stegodon ganesa (Late Pliocene–Late Pleistocene, ~3 mya) — a large elephant with long, curved tusks
- Mammuthus primigenius (Late Pleistocene, ~0.4 mya) — the woolly mammoth in an icy landscape
- Loxodonta africana (Present Day) — the modern African elephant in golden savanna light
Both images use warm, painterly digital art with a documentary/educational aesthetic, similar to a museum exhibit timeline or nature documentary title card.
