Moeritherium somewhat resembled a pig, tapir, or pygmy hippopotamus, but was in fact a small early proboscid. Its tusks were short, more like fangs than the protruding spikes of today's elephants. It's upper lip was not yet the long trunk we are familiar with in modern elephants, but was muscular and flexible for grasping vegetation. It is thought to have spent a lot of time wallowing in the water, and the shape of its teeth suggests it ate aquatic vegetation.