The first ancestor of modern elephants lived approximately 60 million years ago. It was called Moeritherium after the place where it was discovered, the Moeris Lake in Egypt. Moeritherium didn't resemble the elephants of today. Much smaller than the modern elephant, it was about the size of a tapir with a short tail and no trunk. Moeritherium lived as an amphibian, similar to a hippopotamus, in the northern part of the African Continent. Though its form and appearance were completely different from the elephant, scientists base Moeritherium's ancestry of the elephant on its skull and its teeth. The skull had air holes, just like the elephant's, and small tusks grew up from the lower jaw. There were other common features as well. After Moeritherium, the animals in the order Proboscidea increased in variety. Although they differed in appearance, they shared the main characteristics of skull and teeth. Some early Proboscidea had two pairs of tusks, growing from both the upper and lower jaws. All or nearly all of the first Proboscideans inhabited the African Continent, until the beginning of the Miocene Period about 26 million years ago. The descendants of Moeritherium then migrated all over the world, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica.