Abstract
One of the most reliable proofs of terrestrial ice-free conditions within Stadials is the presence of terrestrial vertebrate fauna that require access to vegetation in the winter, for example sedentary birds such as Ptarmigans and herbivorous mammals in particular. The musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) is an example of the latter; modern-day distributions of this species are limited to areas with low snow accumulations. In this paper we discuss the discovery of musk ox bones in Norway. Recently obtained radiocarbon dates on this material demonstrate the presence of this species 41–35 cal kyr B.P. in southern Norway during late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3). Furthermore the dates have implications for the interpretation of climate and environmental conditions; indicating the existence of a small ice cap in the mountains and climate and vegetation supporting a large mammal fauna in South Norway at that time.
Highlights
The musk ox was widely distributed across Eurasia during the last glacial period (115–11,7 kyr B.P.) (Kahlke, 1994) and spread to North America by 90,000 years ago (Weinberg, 2011)
Whilst we argue that the two bones are from the same individual, the two bones have produced δ13C values that diverge by 2.8‰
There is no modern analogue to the Pleistocene Tundra-Steppe biome of Europe (Kowalski, 1977) and the knowledge of past fauna and vegetation that can be linked to the presence of musk ox is insufficient
Summary
The musk ox was widely distributed across Eurasia during the last glacial period (115–11,7 kyr B.P.) (Kahlke, 1994) and spread to North America by 90,000 years ago (Weinberg, 2011). Within Europe, the musk ox was most abundant in the coldest and driest periods of the Pleistocene (Raufuss and von Koeningswald, 1999). They are primarily grazers feeding mainly on sedges and grasses (Weinberg, 2011) and in general adult musk ox subsist on coarse higher-roughage sedges (Groves and Leslie, 2011). The present-day natural distribution of the musk ox ranges across Canada, Greenland and Alaska (Weinberg, 2011). This species has recently been successfully re-introduced to a few areas of Europe, for example to the Dovre region in South Norway in 1947, where they have since established a small free-living population
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