Researchers found bits of a proto-elephant on Crete, according to ‘Cyclops’-like remains found on Crete:
Researchers on the southern Greek island of Crete have unearthed the fossilized tusk, teeth and bones of a Deinotherium Gigantisimum, a fearsome elephant-like creature that might have given rise to ancient legends of one-eyed cyclops monsters.
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A large hole in the middle of the elephant’s skull — a nasal cavity for its trunk — could have given rise to the tales of the cyclops, the ferocious mythological giant with one eye that appears in Homer’s “Odyssey” and other stories.
The connection between this find and the mythical cyclops is a bit tenuous though:
Remains of other elephant ancestors have previously been found on mainland Greece, leading some researchers to speculate that bones found by ancient Greeks may have become part of their mythology.