Over a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century, researchers discovered the bones of an ancient elephant in Sicily, near Syracuse. AdvertisementExtreme elephant evolutionThe juvenile Sicilian dwarf elephant. AdvertisementWhy did this ancient elephant get so tiny? One group of giant straight-tusked elephants moved to Sicily about 200,000 years ago. Understanding cases like the Sicilian dwarf elephant helps scientists better understand evolution as a whole, Van der Geer, said.

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Persons: —, might've, Alexandra van der Geer, It's, Van de Geer, Ross MacPhee, MacPhee, there's, Van der Geer Organizations: American Museum of, Service, Leiden University Locations: Sicily, Syracuse, NYC, Netherlands, Europe, European