Palaeoloxodon_chaniensis
Palaeoloxodon creutzburgi
Extinct species of elephant found on Crete
Palaeoloxodon creutzburgi is an extinct species of elephant known from the Middle-Late Pleistocene of Crete. It is a descendant of the large mainland species Palaeoloxodon antiquus. It is known from localities across the island. P. chaniensis from Stylos and in Vamos cave, Chania, west Crete[1][2][3] is considered to be a junior synonym of P. creutzburgi. It had undergone insular dwarfism, being approximately 40% of the size of its mainland ancestor, and was around the size of the living Asian elephant.[4] It lived alongside the radiation of Candiacervus deer endemic to the island, the mouse Mus batae-minotaurus , the Cretan otter, and the Cretan shrew.[5]