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A Platybelodon is a large, extinct herbivorous mammal related to the elephant (order Proboscidea). They lived during the Miocene Epoch, about 15 million years ago. It fed in the swampy areas of grassy savannas, using its joined lower tusks to excavate vegetation for food. It was very similar to the Amebelodon.
Due to the shape and probable use of the two lower teeth, the Platybelodon and Amebelodon are popularly known as shovel tuskers.
 A Fossil Platybelodon skeleton at the Rock and Bonsai Museum, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China |
