noun
- mammals belonging to the order Proboscidea, characterized by having a trunk; includes elephants and their extinct relatives
Usage: zoological term; plural form
Examples
- Proboscidians are among the largest land mammals on Earth.
- Modern proboscidians include African and Asian elephants.
- Fossil evidence shows that proboscidians once lived on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
- The trunk is the defining characteristic of all proboscidians.
- Mammoths and mastodons were extinct proboscidians.
- Scientists study proboscidians to understand elephant evolution.