Abstract
The dingo is the only placental land mammal aside from murids and bats to have made the water crossings to reach Australia prior to European arrival. It is thought that they arrived as a commensal animal with people, some time in the mid Holocene. However, the timing of their arrival is still a subject of major debate with published age estimates varying widely. This is largely because the age estimates for dingo arrival are based on archaeological deposit dates and genetic divergence estimates, rather than on the dingo bones themselves. Currently, estimates vary from between 5000–4000 years ago, for finds from archaeological contexts, and as much as 18,000 based on DNA age estimates. The timing of dingo arrival is important as post arrival they transformed Indigenous societies across mainland Australia and have been implicated in the extinction of a number of animals including the Tasmanian tiger. Here we present the results of direct dating of dingo bones from their oldest known archaeological context, Madura Cave on the Nullarbor Plain. These dates demonstrate that dingoes were in southern Australia by between 3348 and 3081 years ago. We suggest that following their introduction the dingo may have spread extremely rapidly throughout mainland Australia.
Highlights
The exact time of the arrival of the dingo is somewhat equivocal with some mtDNA research suggesting as much as 18,000 years ago[3] and, according to Savolainen et al.[4], about 5000 years ago
In this paper we present the results of direct dating of dingo bones from Madura Cave – known as Mereguda Cave[14] on the Nullarbor Plain, the oldest subfossil context from which they are known, and discuss the likely rate of dingo spread from their point of arrival, throughout Australia
Collagen quality in the samples was good, with more than 5 mg and 1 wt% collagen recovered from both samples. %C, C:N ratio are representative of bone collagen[28] and stable isotope values are as expected for arid Western Australia
Summary
The exact time of the arrival of the dingo is somewhat equivocal with some mtDNA research suggesting as much as 18,000 years ago[3] and, according to Savolainen et al.[4], about 5000 years ago (see Fillios and Taçon[5] for recent review). Two of the dates are from Layer 2, one (presumed to be associated with the oldest dingo), was collected from 90 cm below the surface[14] and the second from the base of Layer 2 at 195 cm provided a date of ANU800 4260 ± 130 Of the 15 subfossil dingo dates on the FosSahul database[15] only three were considered reliable using their stringent criteria that assessed the reliability of the dating methods used and the quality of the stratigraphic relationship between the date and the dingo remains[16] One of these dates is the direct date from Thylacine Hole discussed above and the remaining two are indirect dates on charcoal that has been assessed as reliably associated with dingo remains from Mordor Cave, an archaeological site in north east Australia (Fig. 1)[17]. The mechanism and precise role of the dingo in these extirpations has been debated; whether for example, dingoes reduced the amount of carrion available for devils[20], out-competed the thylacine[21,22] or even reduced their populations by direct killing[23]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
