Proboscidea is an order of mammals that includes the elephants and their extinct relatives. Modern-day proboscideans have a long, muscular trunk (although early Proboscideans lacked a long trunk), long tusks, and thick, column-like legs. The proboscideans (also called proboscids) evolved during the Paleocene Epoch, roughly 66.4 to 57.8 million years ago. The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world today. The word Proboscidea comes from the word proboscis, which means "nose."