Home / Pre-historic species of Akrotiri peninsula

Pre-historic species of Akrotiri peninsula

The poster is associated to the pre-historic species of Akrotiri peninsula that are shown in the front in the form of three-dimensional models. In the southern coast of the Akrotiri peninsula, called Aetogrkemos, several fossilized bones belonging to 100-120 endemic dwarf hippos, 3 endemic dwarf elephants and lots of fishes, birds and shells were found (Monodonta e.t.c.). Detailed radiocarbon processing revealed that the bones are placed back to the 10th millennium.

The Cyprus elephant weighed approximately 200 pounds, by reducing its weight to 98% compared to its ancestors that weighed approx. 10 tons. The height of the Cyprus Elephant was only up to 90 – 120 cm. Thus, the swampy area of the Akrotiri peninsula was an ideal place of living.

The Cyprus dwarf elephant, called Elephas (Palaeloxodon) cypriotes (Bate 1903), derived from an extinct species which was related to the modern Asian elephant.

It is important to be mentioned that organisms get shorter when they need to adapt in their natural environment, in order to survive. This phenomenon is called insularity.

The Cypriot pygmy hippo (Phanourios minutis) was named after St. Fanourios, because when the researchers discovered the bones it was considered by the residents of the area that they belonged to the Saint. The hippo’s height and length did not exceed 75 cm and 150 cm respectively.