The collection of Sicilian Pleistocene mammals is one of the most spectacular in Italy. It includes dwarf elephants and hippopotamuses, as well as giant dormice that lived in Sicily between 700,000 and 120,000 years ago (Pleistocene), and are ideal for illustrating the theme of insularity. The elephant Palaeoloxodon falconeri and the dormouse Leithia melitensis, the ‘dwarf of giants’ and the ‘giants of dwarfs’ respectively, are particularly noteworthy.
The phenomena of dwarfism and gigantism that characterise these faunas are the result of a precise evolutionary response to the isolation of these populations in restricted areas (endemism), particularly evident in the Pleistocene faunas of the Mediterranean islands. This response can essentially be summarised as the need to optimise the chances of survival of species confined to a restricted area. This phenomenon also occurs in the faunas of dinosaurs, birds and mammals from different periods.
