The name Deinotherium means “terrible beast,” and this powerful pachyderm must have seemed like one to our early hominid ancestors who lived alongside it in Africa during the Pleistocene epoch. Standing around 4 metres tall and weighing anywhere from 10 to 13 tons, it was possibly the third largest proboscidean of all time after the 24-ton Asian straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon namadicus (the largest land mammal of all time!) and the 15-ton mastodon Mammut borsoni.
Mojö released this Deinotherium toy in 2013. Appropriately, it’s a massive mound of solid plastic that stands 11 cm tall at the shoulder and measures 18 cm long. This is another figure you certainly wouldn’t want falling off the shelf and hitting you on the head. Such a painful incident is unlikely though, as it stands very firmly on its pillar-like legs. Indeed, the casual walking pose gives this animal a calm, confidant air. It knows full well that it’s the biggest and strongest thing in its environment, and that any would-be predator who tries something is only going to end up either fleeing or flattened.
The Deinotherium‘s colour scheme is based on that of a modern African elephant: taupe grey with faint patches of dusty brown, black eyes, toenails, and tail tuft, and white tusks with airbrushed rust near the roots. The hide is also sculpted like an elephant’s, with thick folds and wrinkles covering huge muscles. It’s not as intricate as the sculpting on the CollectA version, but it works. Oh, and looking at this individual’s underside, it appears to be a female, which is pretty rare among prehistoric mammal toys!
In addition to its sheer bulk, this toy displays the other characteristic features of Deinotherium: curved tusks extending from the lower jaw, small ears, and a large but relatively short trunk. It’s unknown just how precisely this animal employed its tusks; they may have been used to strip bark from trees or pull down branches to reach leaves. They also would have been dangerous weapons in battles between rival males. The length of the trunk is another matter of ongoing speculation. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I do prefer the longer trunk on the CollectA version. I think it would’ve made it easier for an animal as tall as a double-decker bus to take a drink. Or you can pretend that the Mojö version represents D. giganteum while the CollectA represents D. proavum, which may have had a longer trunk, as depicted in the National Geographic link in the intro.
Say what you will about Mojö Fun’s dinosaurs, but their prehistoric mammals have been pretty darned swell. This Deinotherium is well-sculpted, accurate, looks very naturalistic, and is certainly big enough to appear imposing among your other toys. And it bears repeating: it’s great that it’s a female instead of yet another male. Overall, an excellent toy!
Disclaimer: links to Ebay and Amazon on the DinoToyBlog are affiliate links, so we make a small commission if you use them. Thanks for supporting us!
The texture looks a bit angular – if that’s the right word? Like little slashes. But it’s a small nitpick for an otherwise great model.
I know what you mean. It looks like the sculptor marked wrinkles and other textures into the clay (or whatever medium) with the edge of a tool, but didn’t smooth the edges.
I’d agree that it’s a small nitpick, but I can’t unsee it!
I once read somewhere that Deinotherium had a slightly longer neck than most proboscideans. which is why it’s sometimes restored with a shorter trunk.
I’ve been meaning to pick this figure up for ages now, it looks really excellent. Having never seen either in person, I nevertheless feel pretty confident in saying that I prefer this to CollectA’s version.
It’s amazing how Mojo produces such mediocre dinosaurs (and I think I’m being generous with that adjective), but such great prehistoric mammals. I’m probably going to get their Smilodon and Hyenadon sometime this year.
These weirdo elephants are so much more interesting than the same old mammoths everyone makes.
Agreed. I’ve yet to see any company make a really nice, affordable Platybelodon. Or even a good old mastodont for that matter.
A Mastodon is something I’ve been wanting for a good number of years now.
I’d prefer Mammut borsoni myself, but it’d have to be Deluxe class to do it proper justice, and the super-long tusks would probably present a major warping hazard. M. americanum would be a much safer bet. Admittedly more popular too.