On 14 jun, 17:04, Ami...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(David / Amicus) wrote:
> I'm intrigued by elephants in the BoM. =A0This is a "pro" site I came
> across. Lots of pictures!
>
> The Elephant and The Book of Mormon
> Address:
>
> http://www.2s2.com/chapmanresearch/elephant.html
Although I think that the elephants in Ether were the normal Indian
elephants in the 2 million army of the Persian kings, I like to draw
your attention to a recent find in Chile of an elephant like animal
the Gomphothere (dwarf-elephant) which survived in South America till
350CE, well within the BoM timeline
The Gomphotheres are a diverse group of extinct elephant-like animals
(proboscideans) that were widespread in North America during the
Miocene and Pliocene epochs, 12-1.6 million years ago. Some also
lived
in parts of Eurasia and Beringia, and until recently, in South
America. From about 5 million years ago onwards, they were slowly
replaced by modern elephants, but the last species did not finally
become extinct until as recently as 400 CE[1].
A gomphothere has been identified in food remains of the early human
settlement at Monte Verde, Chile, dating to approximately 14,000
years
ago.[2]
Gomphotheres differed from elephants in their tooth structure,
particularly the chewing surfaces on the molar teeth. Most had four
tusks, and their retracted facial and nasal bones prompt
paleontologists to believe that gomphotheres had elephant-like
trunks.
The early gomphotheres, such as Phiomia, had elongated upper and
lower
jaws, with relatively short tusks. Two lineages appear to have arisen
from these ancestors. One, including animals such as Anancus,
developed the short lower jaw typical of modern elephants, while the
others, including Platybelodon, developed the lower jaw into an
elongated 'shovel', and shortened the upper jaw[1].
(unquote)
Very interesting is the fact that the gomphotheres had 4 tusks
Now look to the first picture in the link above and you will notice
that that elephant had more than 2 tusks as well.
The BoM does not talk about features of the elephants, but says that
it was a usefull beast of burden.
One could imagine how usefull a dwarf elephant with 4 tusks could be.
Moreover the Olmecs had wheeled animal figurines.
That it was domesticated could be deducted from the fact that its meat
was between the food remains.
When the Incas went on the hunt for wild animals, they made hand in
hand a circel of 50.000 man and moved in onthe prey.
The small settlement of 7 huts in Monte Verde does not sup****t such a
hunt on a wild gomphothere
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