Morphological and ecological characteristics of moose, Alces cf. alces (Artiodactyla), from the southeast of Western Siberia in the Late Neopleistocene and Holocene

Abstract

Fossil, subfossil, and recent materials of moose from the southeast of Western Siberia, including the remains of the skull, antlers, mandibles, and postcranial skeleton, has been analyzed. Adaptive features revealed in the structure of the mandible (a high pars dentalis) suggest that forests were a less typical habitat for ancient moose, compared to recent A. a. alces. The high pars dentalis of the mandible and the shape of antlers, with a long basal part and bifurcated spatula, are indicative of their close relation to A. americanus from Eastern Siberia. Thus, moose from the Late Neopleistocene and Holocene appear to represent the same species as A. americanus. It cannot be excluded, however, that A. cf. alces is a special type of European A. a. alces moose in which the characters convergent to Eastern Siberian A. americanus developed independently, due to habitation in similar open (forest-steppe and steppe) landscapes.