Bison Priscus Research Articles

Molar microwear pattern and palaeoecology of ungulates from La Berbie (Dordogne, France): environment of Neanderthals and modern human populations of the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic

This study contributes to the characterization of the environment of the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transition in southwestern France through the reconstruction of ungulate diets. Molar microwear analysis is used to characterize the diets of herbivorous mammals from La Berbie. The data for this study were collected through examination of molar facets using white-light confocal microscopy. The results for 22 fossil specimens (representing four species) are compared with those of 59 living ruminants. Microwear variables of living specimens are used in a principal components analysis. Extinct species are then added to the analysis. Results show that Bison priscus has a microwear signature similar to that of grazers, whereas Rangifer tarandus shares characteristics with both browsers and grazers. The specimens of Equus caballus and Rupicapra rupicapra also display microwear patterns similar to those of grazers. While previous studies have shown an abundance of both C3 plants and herbaceous dicots, the present microwear analysis of fossil herbivores indicates that their last meals contained abrasive graminoids. The results suggest that during the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transition the habitat of Neanderthals and modern human populations in southwestern France was an open environment dominated by a rich C3-monocot herbaceous layer.

Human influence on distribution and extinctions of the late Pleistocene Eurasian megafauna

Late Pleistocene extinctions are of interest to paleontological and anthropological research. In North America and Australia, human occupation occurred during a short period of time and overexploitation may have led to the extinction of mammalian megafauna. In northern Eurasia megafaunal extinctions are believed to have occurred over a relatively longer period of time, perhaps as a result of changing environmental conditions, but the picture is much less clear. To consider megafaunal extinction in Eurasia, we compare differences in the geographical distribution and commonness of extinct and extant species between paleontological and archaeological localities from the late middle Pleistocene to Holocene. Purely paleontological localities, as well as most extinct species, were distributed north of archaeological sites and of the extant species, suggesting that apart from possible differences in adaptations between humans and other species, humans could also have a detrimental effect on large mammal distribution. However, evidence for human overexploitation applies only to the extinct steppe bison Bison priscus. Other human-preferred species survive into the Holocene, including Rangifer tarandus, Equus ferus, Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus, Equus hemionus, Saiga tatarica, and Sus scrofa. Mammuthus primigenius and Megaloceros giganteus were rare in archaeological sites. Carnivores appear little influenced by human presence, although they become rarer in Holocene archaeological sites. Overall, the data are consistent with the conclusion that humans acted as efficient hunters selecting for the most abundant species. Our study supports the idea that the late Pleistocene extinctions were environmentally driven by climatic changes that triggered habitat fragmentation, species range reduction, and population decrease, after which human interference either by direct hunting or via indirect activities probably became critical.

Taphonomy and zooarchaeology of the Upper Palaeolithic cave of Dzudzuana, Republic of Georgia

AbstractWe present the results of a detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains from the Upper Palaeolithic layers of Dzudzuana Cave, Republic of Georgia. This study presents the first carefully analysed Upper Palaeolithic faunal assemblage from the southern Caucasus and thus serves as a significant point of reference for inter‐regional studies of Upper Palaeolithic subsistence in Eurasia. A series of intra‐site taphonomic comparisons are employed to reconstruct the depositional history of the bone assemblages within the different occupational phases at the site and to investigate subsistence, meat procurement and bone‐processing strategies. Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica), aurochs (Bos primigenius) and steppe bison (Bison priscus) were the major prey species throughout the Upper Palaeolithic. Their frequencies do not change significantly over time, and nor does bone preservation vary by layer. The assemblage is characterised by significant density‐mediated biases, caused by both human bone‐processing behaviours andin situpost‐burial bone attrition. Bone marrow extraction produced large numbers of unidentified bone fragments, many exhibiting green bone fractures. The density and size of bone assemblages and the extent of fragmentation indicate that Dzudzuana Cave was repeatedly occupied by Upper Palaeolithic foragers over many years. Skeletal part representation and butchery marks from all stages of carcass processing suggest that prey occasionally underwent field butchery. Intra‐site taphonomic comparisons highlight uniform patterns of cultural and economic behaviours related to food procurement and processing strategies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Distinguishing archeological and paleontological faunal collections from Pleistocene Japan: taphonomic perspectives from Hanaizumi

The application of modern methodological taphonomic approaches to Pleistocene faunal assemblages that were excavated and interpreted before taphonomic analyses became common are crit- ical to verifying whether the original interpretations are valid. Even though taphonomic research is common in North America, Africa, and Europe, few such studies of faunal collections have been car- ried out in East Asia. In this regard, taphonomic analysis of the faunal assemblage from Hanaizumi, Japan serves as an excellent case study because few taphonomic re-analyses of previously excavated Pleistocene assemblages have been performed in Japan. Hanaizumi was excavated in the 1950s and the original behavioral interpretation was that hunter-gatherers were responsible for the accumulation of the faunal assemblage, which is dominated by bison (Bison priscus). The taphonomic analysis pre- sented here indicates that evidence of human modification is present on the bones. However, results suggest that even though hunter-gatherers may have had primary access to many of the bison in the assemblage, Hanaizumi was probably not a kill site or a hunter-gatherer home base as was originally proposed. Rather, the acquisition of bison may have taken place further up river and Hanaizumi is the locality to which the already processed carcasses were transported via fluvial movement. Accordingly, it is difficult to use the Hanaizumi faunal dataset to address current paleoanthropological debates. Future fieldwork at the site may indicate that hunter-gatherers played a more significant role in the for- mation of the bison bone assemblage. For now, Hanaizumi is best considered an allochthonous pale- ontological collection that has assisted in paleoenvironmental reconstructions of Late Pleistocene Japan.

New carbon dates link climatic change with human colonization and Pleistocene extinctions

Drastic ecological restructuring, species redistribution and extinctions mark the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, but an insufficiency of numbers of well-dated large mammal fossils from this transition have impeded progress in understanding the various causative links. Here I add many new radiocarbon dates to those already published on late Pleistocene fossils from Alaska and the Yukon Territory (AK-YT) and show previously unrecognized patterns. Species that survived the Pleistocene, for example, bison (Bison priscus, which evolved into Bison bison), wapiti (Cervus canadensis) and, to a smaller degree, moose (Alces alces), began to increase in numbers and continued to do so before and during human colonization and before the regional extinction of horse (Equus ferus) and mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). These patterns allow us to reject, at least in AK-YT, some hypotheses of late Pleistocene extinction: 'Blitzkrieg' version of simultaneous human overkill, 'keystone' removal, and 'palaeo-disease'. Hypotheses of a subtler human impact and/or ecological replacement or displacement are more consistent with the data. The new patterns of dates indicate a radical ecological sorting during a uniquely forage-rich transitional period, affecting all large mammals, including humans.

Macrofossil and pollen evidence for full-glacial steppe within an ecological mosaic along the Bluefish River, eastern Beringia

Plant and insect macrofossil assemblages dating to the full-glacial (late Wisconsinan) are rare from eastern Beringia. Here we present an assemblage of fossil pollen, insect and plant macrofossils recovered from alluvium at the Bluefish Exposure, northern Yukon Territory. Nine AMS radiocarbon ages place these data between ca. 18,880–16,440 14C yr BP (22,313–19,597 cal. yr BP). These data indicate that xeric steppe, rich in bunchgrasses Poa and Elymus, Artemisia frigida and diverse forbs was interspersed within a mosaic of local vegetation types, including mid-rich fens, mesic graminoid meadows, steppe-tundra and herb-tundra. Macrofossils and minor pollen of tundra forbs suggest steppe-tundra plant associations within midslope elevations and discontinuous herb-tundra on high elevation uplands on exposed bedrock ridges. The composition and distribution of local vegetation was dependent on available moisture, drainage, aspect and elevation. Compositional and physiognomic similarities can be made with extrazonal steppe-dominated dry slopes and high elevation steppe-tundra ecotones in central Alaska and Yukon Territory. Our paleoecological data reflect environments inhabited by the diverse late Pleistocene Bluefish Caves fauna, including woolly mammoth, horse, steppe bison, and saiga antelope.

A new site from the Spanish Middle Pleistocene with cold-resistant faunal elements: La Parte (Asturias, Spain)

The La Parte (Asturias) northern Spain site contains a cold-adapted mammal faunal assemblage that corresponds to a level radiometrically dated to a minimum age of 150 ka. It represents the most ancient site with cold resistant fauna in the Iberian Peninsula. Among the species recorded in La Parte, Coelodonta antiquitatis and Rangifer tarandus represent the typical cold-adapted large mammal association. The presence of the woolly rhino at La Parte provides relevant environmental information about the Mammoth Steppe. This species was not as abundant in the Middle Pleistocene as during the Late Pleistocene, when its cold-adapted features can be studied from an evolutionary perspective. The remains attributed to R. tarandus suggest an open steppe ecosystem. The presence of Marmota sp. is also confirmed in La Parte. A first interpretation would suggest an alpine or periglacial ecosystem, but based on recent results which do not support the correlation between phylogeny and climatic tolerance for extant species of Marmota (López and Cuenca, 2002. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 186, 311), we propose the presence of this rodent suggests an open landscape with cold conditions. The rest of the taxa included in the La Parte assemblage ( Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo, Cervus elaphus, Megaloceros cf. giganteus, Bison priscus and Equus caballus) are usually associated with typical cold-adapted faunas, but they are also found in woody temperate zones so they do not characterize by themselves a cold period. The faunal association from La Parte suggests a combination of steppic and open woodland ecological conditions.

The last giant of Beringia: the mystery of the Bering Land Bridge

The captivating story of how geologist Dave Hopkins led the scientific world in proving the existence of the vanished land bridge that once connected Siberia to the New World during the Ice Ages. The intriguing theory of a land bridge periodically linking Siberia and Alaska during the coldest pulsations of the Ice Ages had been much debated since Jos de Acosta, a Spanish missionary working in Mexico and Peru, first proposed the idea of a connection between the continents in 1589. But proof of the land bridge - now named Beringia after eighteenth-century Danish explorer Vitus Bering - eluded scientists until an inquiring geologist named Dave Hopkins emerged from rural New England and set himself to the task of solving the mystery. Through the life story of Hopkins, The Last Giant of Beringia reveals the fascinating science detective story that at last confirmed the existence of the land bridge that served as the intercontinental migration route for such massive Ice Age beasts as woolly mammoths, steppe bison, giant stag-moose, dire wolves, short-faced bears, and saber-toothed cats - and for the first humans to enter the New World from Asia. After proving unambiguously that the land

Rise and Fall of the Beringian Steppe Bison

The widespread extinctions of large mammals at the end of the Pleistocene epoch have often been attributed to the depredations of humans; here we present genetic evidence that questions this assumption. We used ancient DNA and Bayesian techniques to reconstruct a detailed genetic history of bison throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Our analyses depict a large diverse population living throughout Beringia until around 37,000 years before the present, when the population's genetic diversity began to decline dramatically. The timing of this decline correlates with environmental changes associated with the onset of the last glacial cycle, whereas archaeological evidence does not support the presence of large populations of humans in Eastern Beringia until more than 15,000 years later.

Radiocarbon Chronologies and Extinction Dynamics of the Late Quaternary Mammalian Megafauna of the Taimyr Peninsula, Russian Federation

This paper presents 75 new radiocarbon dates based on late Quaternary mammal remains recovered from eastern Taimyr Peninsula and adjacent parts of the northern Siberian lowlands, Russian Federation, including specimens of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), steppe bison (Bison priscus), muskox (Ovibos moschatus), moose (Alces alces), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), horse (Equus caballus) and wolf (Canis lupus). New evidence permits reanalysis of megafaunal extinction dynamics in the Asian high Arctic periphery. Increasingly, radiometric records of individual species show evidence of a gap at or near the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (PHB). In the past, the PHB gap was regarded as significant only when actually terminal, i.e., when it marked the apparent “last” occurrence of a species (e.g., current “last” occurrence date for woolly mammoth in mainland Eurasia is 9600yr bp ). However, for high Arctic populations of horses and muskoxen the gap marks an interruption rather than extinction, because their radiocarbon records resume, nearly simultaneously, much later in the Holocene. Taphonomic effects, ΔC14 flux, and biased sampling are unlikely explanations for these hiatuses. A possible explanation is that the gap is the signature of an event, of unknown nature, that prompted the nearly simultaneous crash of many megafaunal populations in the high Arctic and possibly elsewhere in Eurasia.

Late Pleistocene Interstadial Environment on Faddeyevskiy Island, East-Siberian Sea, Russia

Pollen, plant macrofossil, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon analyses of a 1.4-m section in thermokarst topography from Faddeyevskiy Island (75°20′N, 143°50′E, 30 m elevation) provides new information on Late Pleistocene interstadial environmental history of this high Arctic region. Conventional radiocarbon dates (25,700 ± 1000, 32,780 ± 500, 35,200 ± 650 yr BP) and two AMS dates (29,950 ± 660 and 42,990 ± 1280 yr BP) indicate that the deposits accumulated during the Kargian (Boutellier) interval. Numerous mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) remains that have been collected in vicinity of the site in this study were radiocarbon dated to 36,700-18,500 yr BP. Rare bison (Bison priscus) bones were dated to 32,200 ± 600 and 33,100 ± 320 yr BP. Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia pollen dominate the spectra with some Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Rosaceae, and Asteraceae. The pollen spectra reflect steppe-like (tundra-steppe) vegetation, which was dominant on the exposed shelf of the Arctic Ocean. Numerous Carex macrofossils suggest that the summer climate was at least 2°C warmer than today. The productivity of the local vegetation during the Kargian interstadial was high enough to feed the population of grazing mammals.

Late Pleistocene Interstadial Environment on Faddeyevskiy Island, East-Siberian Sea, Russia

Pollen, plant macrofossil, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon analyses of a 1.4-m section in thermokarst topography from Faddeyevskiy Island (75°20′N, 143°50′E, 30 m elevation) provides new information on Late Pleistocene interstadial environmental history of this high Arctic region. Conventional radiocarbon dates (25,700 ± 1000, 32,780 ± 500, 35,200 ± 650 yr BP) and two AMS dates (29,950 ± 660 and 42,990 ± 1280 yr BP) indicate that the deposits accumulated during the Kargian (Boutellier) interval. Numerous mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) remains that have been collected in vicinity of the site in this study were radiocarbon dated to 36,700-18,500 yr BP. Rare bison (Bison priscus) bones were dated to 32,200 ± 600 and 33,100 ± 320 yr BP. Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia pollen dominate the spectra with some Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Rosaceae, and Asteraceae. The pollen spectra reflect steppe-like (tundra-steppe) vegetation, which was dominant on the exposed shelf of the Arctic Ocean. Numerous Carex macrofossils suggest that the summer climate was at least 2°C warmer than today. The productivity of the local vegetation during the Kargian interstadial was high enough to feed the population of grazing mammals.

Aurignacian Settlement Patterns in the Vézère Valley

Etude de la mobilite des groupes aurignaciens du bassin de la Vezere a partir de l'economie de la matiere premiere lithique et de la saisonnalite animale. Ces elements fournissent des donnees nouvelles sur l'extension du territoire exploite, sur le degre de sedentarisation et de saisonnalite humaine

Aurignacian Settlement Patterns in the Vézère Valley

Aurignacian Settlement Patterns in the Vézère Valley

P024 Histomorphometry of femoral head reveals new approach to biomechanics in osteoarthritis

The structure is reported of bones of glacial-period mammals, which were found in 1973 to 1989 in gravel-sandy soil of the fossiliferous layer „Rixdorfer Horizont“ at Niederlehme near Königs Wusterhausen. The findings, probably, date from one of the interstages of the glacial period „Weichsel-Kaltzeit“ before the stage „Brandenburger Stadium“. Their embedding took place more than 20000 years ago. Changes of the deposit of bones and teeth from older sediments are not to exclude in the finding place Niederlehme. In the collection of findings with 102 skeletal parts are to define following species: Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus sp., Bison priscus, Megalocerus giganteus, Cervus elaphus, Rangifer tarandus and Canis lupus.A trajectorial direction of the trabecula in the substantia spongiosa is evident. There are also specific channels of blood vessels with different diameters. This channels have completely closed bone-wall (with a central venous sinus of diameter 5 to 10 mm) or in little vessels (diameter 1 to 3 mm), we have found many apertures to the rooms of the substantia spongiosa. The microscopical investigation of bones of Mammuthus primigenius has shown Havers' channels and perforating channels, Havers' systems and lacunae osseae.

LITHUANIAN MAMMAL FAUNA REVIEW

Data on Lithuania mammal fauna are presented. From 78 mammal species recorded in Lithuania, 7 were seen only in the 17-18th centuries, two species are extinct. Recent Lithuanian mammal fauna contains 68 species. Five of them are observed occasionally. 63 mammal species are permant inhabitants, 18 included in the Red Data Book, mostly bats and dormice. 8 mammal species were introduced or reintroduced. Population tendencies of game animals are also considered. NOTES ON MAMMAL FAUNA HISTORY The recent Lithuanian mammal fauna is comparatively young. Its formation occurred 13000-15000 years ago at the end of the last glaciation. Glacial fauna, like Mummuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Rangifer tarandus, was mixed with tundra represenatives, Bison priscus, Alopex lugopus, lemmings and others. The post-glacial fauna formation process was closely related to the climate changes and flora development. According to Paaver (1965), three periods and six phases of fauna formation are distinguished. During the first two phases, a period of pre-boreal and a period of boreal climate, a quick rise of forests and appearance of broad-leaved trees caused forest-dwelling mammal species to appear, among them red fox, pine marten, badger, red squirrel,

Palaeontology and Zooarchaeology of Mezmaiskaya Cave (Northwestern Caucasus, Russia)

Over 6000 large mammal and numerous small vertebrate remains have been recovered from preliminary excavations at Mezmaiskaya Cave, situated at 1300–1350 m above sea level in the northwestern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Most remains were recovered from layers containing Mousterian artefacts that date to the late Middle Pleniglacial (35,000 bpand older). The faunal assemblage reflects a very low degree of weathering, and many bones exhibit traces of stone tool cuts and carnivore modification. Steppe bison ( Bison priscus), Caucasian goat ( Capra caucasica), and Asiatic mouflon ( Ovis orientalis) are the most common large mammals. The remains of reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus) were encountered for the first time in the Caucasus. Although most of the smaller vertebrate remains appear to have been accumulated by nonhuman biotic processes (e.g. owl predation), the majority of the ungulate remains probably represent animals hunted by the Mousterian occupants of the cave.

Wallertheim revisited: A re-analysis of the fauna from the middle palaeolithic site of Wallertheim (Rheinhessen/Germany)

The Middle Palaeolithic open site of Wallertheim was excavated in 1927 and 1928. It has since become relatively well-known due to the rich faunal remains and the stone artefacts present in the sediments. This paper presents the results of a reappraisal of the faunal assemblage of Wallertheim. As a result of the taphonomic analysis it is argued that only one species of the diverse fauna can be convincingly related to human activities: Bison priscus, the steppe bison. This will be discussed briefly in the context of other Middle Palaeolithic sites. Attention will be drawn to the implications of taphonomic analyses for the interpretation of Middle Palaeolithic subsistence strategies.

Mousterian Hunters of the NW Caucasus: Preliminary Results of Recent Investigations

AbstractRecent investigations have produced a group of important new Mousterian sites in the NW Caucasus (Russia). These sites, which range in elevation from 100 to 1350 m above sea level, include Il'skaya II (100 m)) Matuzka Cave (750 m), Barakaevskaya Cave (900 m), and Mezmaiskaya Cave (1350 m). Each contains a large faunal assemblage that, in conjunction with faunal remains excavated earlier from Il'skaya I (100 m) and Dakhovskaya Cave (500 m), constitute a rich source of information on Mousterian paleoecology in this part of Europe. Sites at lower elevations yield remains of mammoths and giant deer; at higher elevations, these taxa are absent but goats and sheep are common. Steppe bison is the most common species in a majority of assemblages, and bone modification and demographic data indicate that it was probably hunted (as opposed to scavenged) by Mousterian groups. Cave bear remains exhibit an inverse relationship to artifacts, and most probably reflect natural mortality. The economic role of mammo...

Zur Mikrostruktur fossiler Säugetierknochen aus dem Rixdorfer Horizont der Weichsel-Kaltzeit von Niederlehme bei Königs Wusterhausen (Brandenburg)

The structure is reported of bones of glacial-period mammals, which were found in 1973 to 1989 in gravel-sandy soil of the fossiliferous layer "Rixdorfer Horizont" at Niederlehme near Königs Wusterhausen. The findings, probably, date from one of the interstages of the glacial period "Weichsel-Kaltzeit" before the stage "Brandenburger Stadium". Their embedding took place more than 20,000 years ago. Changes of the deposit of bones and teeth from older sediments are not to exclude in the finding place Niederlehme. In the collection of findings with 102 skeletal parts are to define following species: Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus sp., Bison priscus, Megalocerus giganteus, Cervus elaphus, Rangifer tarandus and Canis lupus. A trajectorial direction of the trabecula in the substantia spongiosa is evident. There are also specific channels of blood vessels with different diameters. This channels have completely closed bone-wall (with a central venous sinus of diameter 5 to 10 mm) or in little vessels (diameter 1 to 3 mm), we have found many apertures to the rooms of the substantia spongiosa. The microscopical investigation of bones of Mammuthus primigenius has shown Havers' channels and perforating channels, Havers' systems and lacunae osseae.