Deinotherium has a long history, possibly dating back as early as the 17th century when a French surgeon named Matsorier found the bones of large animals in an area known as the "field of giants" near Lyon.

[3] The genus Deinotherium was coined in 1829 by Johann Jakob von Kaup to describe a fossil skull and mandible discovered in Germany.

These additional remains also helped solidify Deinotherium's position within Proboscidea and finds in India described as D. indicum extended the range of the genus outside of Europe.

The cranium was short, low, and flattened on the top, in contrast to more advanced proboscideans, which have a higher and more domed forehead, with very large, elevated occipital condyles.

In the first of these publications the authors argue that, due to the origin of these animal's tusks, the lower lip should be situated beneath them as they evolved their classic downturned appearance.

They further suggest that, while a trunk would be present, it would likely not resemble that of modern elephants and instead be more robust and muscular, which they reason is evidenced by the lack of a proper insertion surface.

In particular, it is pointed out that the tall stature and still relatively short neck of Deinotherium would render it very difficult for the animal to drink without assuming a more complex posture.

[11] Throughout the long history of deinotheriid research, 31 species have been described and assigned to the family, many on the basis of poorly sampled material, especially teeth of varying size.

[16] The range of Deinotherium furthermore extends over the Middle East, with the holotype of D. indicum being found on the island of Perim (Yemen)[13] in the Red Sea.

[20] The western range of Deinotherium spans most of West and Central Europe including Hungary, the Czech Republic (Františkovy Lázně), Austria[22] (Gratkorn Locality), Switzerland[4] (Jura Mountains), France ("Field of Giants"), Portugal,[2] Spain and Germany.

Some of the earliest and most significant finds in Germany have been made in the Dinotheriensande (Eppelsheim Formation) of the Mainz Basin, named for their great abundance of deinothere remains.

Outside of Eurasia, Deinotherium bozasi is found in East Africa, with specimens known from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the Omo Basin and Middle Awash of Ethiopia, and multiple localities in Kenya.

On the one hand, increased size is an effective predator deterrent, especially during the Miocene when carnivorans had reached a great diversity including hyaenodonts, amphicyonids and large cats.

Secondly, continued aridification during the Miocene increasingly split up woodlands, with greater distances of open landscape stretching between the food sources of browsers such as Deinotherium.

Despite the many key adaptations deinotheres developed for effective foraging, the continued aridification that progressed throughout the Miocene eventually led to the extinction of the group, which failed to survive without readily available food sources matching their diet.

[5][4] While European lineages of Deinotherium had gone extinct with the onset of the Pliocene, the genus managed to survive notably longer in its southern range in Africa.

The last known Deinotherium remains, assigned to D. bozasi, were found in sediments dating to the Pleistocene, approximately 1 million years ago.

Sirenia Eritherium Numidotherium Barytherium Deinotheriidae Phiomia Mammut Gomphotherium Elephantidae Several key adaptations suggest that Deinotherium was a folivorous, browsing proboscidean that preferred open woodland habitats and fed on the leaves of the tree canopy.

[2] A browsing lifestyle is supported by the inclination of the occiput that gives Deinotherium a slightly more raised head posture, and their teeth, which strongly resemble those of modern tapirs, animals that predominantly feed on fruits, flowers, bark and leaves.

Fossil finds from the Austrian Gratkorn locality [22] and the Mainz Basin in Germany indicate that Deinotherium was not a permanent resident in some areas it inhabited.

In a 2001 paper Markov and colleagues argue that Deinotherium could have used its tusks to remove branches that would have gotten in the way of feeding, while using the proboscis to transport leaf material into its mouth.