Six new species of large prehistoric mammal have turned up (dead, sad to say) in Ethiopia, including enough Proboscidea to firmly establish the African ancestry of the elephant family. With the exception of the SUV-sized Arsinoitherium — the largest yet discovered — and a Deinotherium “halfway between a large pig and a small hippo,” most of these guys seem to have been in about the one-ton range. I can’t help but think that would be just about right for ranching.

(Courtesy of Kathryn Cramer.)