Dental mesowear analysis of the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) from Tultepec, Estado de México, México

Abstract

The ontogenetic age and dietary preference of 11 individuals of Mammuthus columbi, from the Late Pleistocene sites of Tutlepec I and Tultepec II, Estado de México, were estimated. To accomplish this, their jaws and molars were measured and examined and the dental mesowear of the molars was analyzed. The estimated age (in African Elephant Age) of most individuals studied was less than 30 years, and only a single individual was approximately 45 years old. The average mesowear angle in the molars indicates great variability in their food preferences, finding individuals that are strictly leaf browsers, strictly grazers, on a mixed diet (C3/C4), mostly browsers, and mostly grazers. Additionally, differences in mesowear angle were found between the left and right molars of four individuals who presented anomalies in the position, shape, and depth of the occlusal surface of the molars. The findings in these individuals illustrate the importance of conducting further studies of these paleopathologies and their relationship with the feeding habits of these proboscideans; also, the analysis of dental mesowear should be supplemented with other approaches.