If you think that a huge animal like the elephant should have at least a relative at least half its size, you are wrong! The closest kin of the tusker is a puny-sized animal called the rock hyrax. Our amazement will see no bounds when we learn that this animal does not weigh more than four kilograms! The rock hyrax is a small, furry herbivore native to Africa and the Middle East.
Although hyraxes are tiny in comparison, there are a few physical traits that are share with the elephant. A rock hyrax has little tusks that are similar to those of the elephant. They grow from their incisor teeth. Most mammals with tusks develop them from their canine teeth. These animals have flattened nails on the tips of their digits too. The manatee also shares a common ancestry with the elephant. There was another relative called Tethytheria, which died out more than 50 million years ago.
Picture Credit : Google