Pleistocene Mammals Research Articles

A New Glance at Old Samples: Remains of Freshwater Invertebrates Associated with Mummified Carcasses of Large Quaternary Mammals

Carcasses of mammals with well-preserved soft tissues from the permafrost of Siberia and northern North America are among the most important sources of our knowledge on Quaternary environments. However, the potential of this information source is far from being exhausted. The objective of this study is to reveal and describe the remains of freshwater invertebrates in the hair and gut contents of large Pleistocene mammals stored for a long time in museum collections. We have studied the gut contents of two mammoths, as well as the hair of two other mammoths, one woolly rhinoceros, four bison, and two horses. Remains of invertebrates were found in the gut contents of both mammoths, as well as in the hair of two mammoths and the woolly rhinoceros, while no remains were detected in the bison and horse hair. Among the remains of microscopic invertebrates, the most common are branchiopod crustaceans, namely the ephippia of Daphnia sp., Simocephalus sp., the head shields and valves of Chydoridae (Cladocera), and the mandibles of tadpole shrimps (Notostraca). Based on our current level of knowledge, we are able to identify only a limited number of Pleistocene branchiopods. Studies on Recent taxa with the aim to develop identification keys to the aforementioned groups are needed, as they could significantly expand the potential of palaeoecological analysis.

Early Pliocene Desmaninae (Mammalia, Talpidae) from Southern Spain and the Origin of the Genus Desmana

ABSTRACT Desmaninae (water-moles) are common elements in the late Miocene–Pleistocene mammal assemblages from Europe, but knowledge about this group is still scarce. Here we present the desmanines from several early Pliocene localities of the Granada Basin, southern Spain. The species Desmana marci, sp. nov. is described from the sites Calicasas-3 and 4A, characterized, among other traits, by its slightly molarized p4, enormous P2, strongly molarized P3 and P4, and very large metaconule in the M3. Desmana marci shows a typical Desmana i1, with the enamel extending further down anteriorly than posteriorly, but an Archaeodesmana-like I1, low-crowned and bilobed. Desmana marci is proposed as the oldest species of Desmana; its origin lies in Archaeodesmana baetica, and it is in turn interpreted as the ancestor of Desmana verestchagini. Besides, a desmanine of small size and ascribed to Archaeodesmana cf. getica is identified in Calicasas-5A and Purcal-13. This desmanine forms part of a lineage leading to Archaeodesmana elvirae and Archaeodesmana brailloni; this lineage is characterized by an increase in size and in the molarization of the upper premolars. Desmaninae are identified in all the latest Miocene and earliest Pliocene localities from the Granada Basin, evidencing the existence of permanent water bodies. On the contrary, they are not found in sites of similar age in the Guadix Basin, which would have had more arid conditions. The coincident appearance of A. cf. getica in both basins during the early Ruscinian indicates a change towards more humid conditions in the region, allowing the establishment of permanent water flows in the Guadix Basin. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E3E441D0-CF66-4320-AA2E-17FB7BC10B39

Taxonomic reassessment of large mammals from the Pleistocene Homo-bearing site of Tham Wiman Nakin (Northeast Thailand): relevance for faunal patterns in mainland Southeast Asia

Tham Wiman Nakin or “Snake Cave” has so far been recognized as being the only late Middle Pleistocene Homo-bearing fauna, dated to older than 169 ka, in mainland Southeast Asia. Since the last two decades, the highly diversified mammal fauna found from this cave has been widely used as standard references for several studies, though the majority of fossil primates, carnivores, and ungulates have never been described in detail. This paper presents taxonomic descriptions of unpublished fossil specimens from the long-known collection of Tham Wiman Nakin. As a result, the fauna of Tham Wiman Nakin consisted of at least 28 large mammal taxa. Although several previously described specimens are re-assigned to different tooth elements and/or mammal taxa, our taxonomic study confirms the existence of most of the species identified from the previous work and describes three additional taxa for the locality: an Asian badger, a tiger, and a Himalayan goral. The Tham Wiman Nakin fauna is one of the most diverse Pleistocene mammals, including a hominin, in mainland Southeast Asia and documents long-term survivors of living species since the late Middle Pleistocene. Based on several recent dates of fossil sites in mainland Southeast Asia, biochronological data imply a possible faunal age up to the maximum of 300 ka for the Tham Wiman Nakin fauna, but younger than that of Pha Bong where Gigantopithecus was present. Fossil records in the region also suggest a relatively stable fauna through Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles, at least from the late Middle to latest Pleistocene. The extinction occurring in the mainland varied across taxa and likely resulted in less impacted biodiversity loss prior to the Holocene, compared to other continents, as indicated by the small proportion of species becoming extinct during each interval. The importance of stable mosaic habitats through time may provide clues to the long-term survival of several large mammal taxa in the region.

Eremotherium (Xenarthra, Mammalia) materials from the collections of Laboratório de Paleontologia e Evolução and Laboratório de Geologia of Universidade Federal de Goiás

This study presents the first survey of fossil mammal specimens housed at the collections of the Federal University of Goiás. Here, we describe a set of associated femur and vertebrae fragments, one fragment of tibia, and two left and right maxillary fragments, identified as Eremotherium. Despite its fragmentary condition, the size and morphological aspect of the materials show diagnostic characteristics that suggest their relationship with Eremotherium. These new specimens described here contribute to the paleontology of the Goiás State, which may provide future research investments in collections not yet known, which may increase the knowledge on Pleistocene mammals of Central Brazil.

Middle Pleistocene Ursus deningeri from Grotte de la Carrière (Réseau Lachambre, Têt Valley, Eastern Pyrenees)

Grotte de la Carriere is one of the secondary caves with paleontological record within the Reseau Lachambre karstic complex, an important network located in the Tet Valley at Villefranche-de-Conflent (Occitaine, France). After the discovery of dozens of cave bear remains in 2012, four systematical excavations in different parts of the cave allowed to recover a noteworthy Pleistocene mammal assemblage. Here we describe the dentognathic specimens of ursids coming from the lower layers of the first performed sondage. Based on morphological and morphometric comparisons with other late Early to Late Pleistocene European fossil material, the studied specimens were referred to the Middle Pleistocene species Ursus deningeri. Due to the scantiness of well-preserved and chronologically well-constrained U. deningeri remains, this study represents an important contribution to acquire knowledge on this Middle Pleistocene bear.

NUOVI ELEMENTI FAUNISTICI E STRATIGRAFICI DEL PLEISTOCENE SUPERIORE DEI NEBRODI (SICILIA NORD-ORIENTALE)

A new deposit of gravels containing Pleistocene mammal remains mostly belonging to Hippopotamus sp., but also with remains of some other mammals (Elephas sp., Ursus sp.) has been located at Rocca Scodonì near Torrenova, in the province of Messina (Sicily). The new deposit may be compared with that of the S. Teodoro cave near Acquedolci, which was already known in the literature. The location, the elevation above present sea level, the facies and faunal association are closely similar. Like the deposit of the S. Teodoro cave, the deposit of Rocca Scodonì belongs to a coastal plain now elevated at the altitude of 60—130 m a.s.l., overlying an abrasion terrace which can be referred to the Eutyrrhenian cycle. The facies of deposits show that the morphological terrace which is now elevated at the altitude of 60—130 m a.s.l. and extends along Ionian and Tyrrhenian sides of North—Eastern Sicily, was built up with deposits of different ages and environments, which are connected to the interaction between Pleistocene uplift of the region and three marine transgressions. The size of skeletal elements of Hippopotamus sp. appears to be very near to that of the mainland species H. amphibius. The new deposit shows that other mammal remains can probablv be found in the future along the northern slopes of carbonate massifs present in the area of Rocca Scodonì—S. Teodoro cave.

Complex Dental Structure and Wear Biomechanics in Non‐Avian Dinosaurs and Pleistocene Mammals

Reptiles rarely approached the biomechanical sophistication for feeding or dietary diversity seen in mammals. Their teeth are typically non‐occluding, semi‐conical structures with simplistic parallel‐crystallite enamel surrounding an orthodentine core. Conversely, most mammals possess multi‐cusped teeth that are drawn across one another during mastication and self‐wear to their functional morphology. The most complex dental architectures are seen in herbivorous mammals. Their teeth are composed of up to four constituents (incl. prismatic enamel) that strategically wear creating coarse grinding or slicing surfaces. These allow them to comminute tough and/or abrasive plants and liberate nutrients inaccessible to other animals. Non‐avian dinosaurs stand out among reptiles in that precise, mammal‐like dental occlusion and self‐wearing teeth evolved on at least four occasions. These topographies enabled access to myriad floral types and facilitated their respective ecological diversifications. My research group and colleagues showed that the teeth of these dinosaurs are histologically more complex than formerly appreciated. Using cutting‐edge material science and tribological engineering indentation techniques we discovered that wear and fracture relevant material properties are preserved in the fossil dental tissues of dinosaurs and Pleistocene mammals. This led to development of a 3D Archard’s wear model from which we determined how horse‐like occlusal surfaces for the grinding of plant matter occurred in hadrosaurids, and fuller‐like slicing surfaces developed and functioned in ceratopsians. In current research we are studying how the grinding dentitions of mammoths similarly formed through self‐wear. Notably our paleontologically‐inspired wear model is seeing broad industrial applications.Support or Funding InformationNSF CMMI (Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation) Eager and AFOSR (Air Force Office of Scientific Research) to GME, SP and BAK

Crustacean remains from the Yuka mammoth raise questions about non-analogue freshwater communities in the Beringian region during the Pleistocene

Frozen permafrost Pleistocene mammal carcasses with soft tissue remains are subject to intensive study and help elucidate the palaeoenvironment where these animals lived. Here we present an inventory of the freshwater fauna and flora found in a sediment sample from the mummified Woolly Mammoth carcass found in August 2010, from the Oyogos Yar coast near the Kondratievo River in the Laptev Sea region, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, NE Russia. Our study demonstrates that the waterbody where the carcass was buried could be characterized as a shallow pond or lake inhabited mainly by taxa which are present in this area today, but additionally by some branchiopod crustacean taxa currently absent or unusual in the region although they exist in the arid zone of Eurasia (steppes and semi-deserts). These findings suggest that some “non-analogue” crustacean communities co-existed with the “Mammoth fauna”. Our findings raise questions about the nature of the waterbodies that existed in Beringia during the MIS3 climatic optimum when the mammoth was alive.

About geoecological situation in the Selenga river basin (Western Transbaikalia) in the Palaeolithic

The data are presented on the time of the first appearance of prehistoric humans in the Selenga River Basin, where human interaction with the natural environment took place during the cooling period, with its maximum registered in the end of the Pleistocene. It is shown that the changes in the relief were controlled by the activity of tectonic phases, one of which having caused the uprising of the Baikal Depression shoulders and the lowering of its bottom to the current depth. It has been noted that denudation and accumulation contributed to the formation of foothills and river terraces, inhabited by Palaeolithic humans. Stepwise climatic changes being non-antagonistic to the surrounding environment favoured the preservation of many species of the Pleistocene mammals, which nowadays compose the current teriofauna. The extinction of key mammals (Mammuthus, Coelodonta) is not attributed to the ancient human activities. The presented research results allow considering ancient humans being an integral component of geosystems, which influenced them indirectly by impacts though of a small force but long-acting and destabilizing their balance, i.e., extension of settlements and ancient residential landscapes.

Stable isotopic and mesowear reconstructions of paleodiet and habitat of the Middle and Late Pleistocene mammals in south-western Germany

Teeth are the most informative remains in the fossil record due to their abundance and enamel structure, which is the hardest and most mineralised tissue, preserving well biochemical and mechanical features. Teeth occlusal wear signal (mesowear) and stable carbon isotope composition are reliable proxies for diet abrasiveness and habitat openness in ungulates, respectively. Both methods are rarely compared in paleohabitat reconstructions. We examined the relationship between stable isotopes and mesowear of large Pleistocene herbivores in south-western Germany for the first time and reported unpublished stable isotope data from Villa Seckendorff. We found significant differences in δ13C among individuals, exhibiting sharp versus round cusps and high versus low occlusal relief. The δ13C and mesowear correlation was significantly positive among the fossil assemblages but not among individuals because individuals varied in the amount of abrasive dietary material. Species with the same mesowear were rather flexible in habitat and plant communities’ exploitation. The woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis had the highest mesowear values, indicating abrasive grass-dominated diet, whereas Bos primigenius and Bison priscus demonstrated the highest δ13C values, indicating the most open environments. A negative correlation trend was indicated between mesowear and δ18O values and extrapolated temperature. Sympatric species demonstrated different mean δ13C and δ18O values, suggesting diet or habitat partitioning within a C3 plant ecosystem. Interestingly, temperate assemblages demonstrated more variation in δ13C and δ18O, revealing ecological flexibility and diversity and generalist features during the interglacial periods compared to glacial periods and boreal conditions.

Correlation of Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil assemblages from the central and eastern United States: toward a continental rodent biochronology

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous presence and rapid evolution of rodents lend this group to the development of a correlational scheme for United States Cenozoic continental fossil deposits, equivalent to the later Cenozoic section of European MN zones. Expanding on earlier work in the Meade Basin of southwestern Kansas and Florida, Pliocene and Pleistocene mammal assemblages from the northern and southern Great Plains and the eastern United States are correlated based on rodent biostratigraphy. Eleven rodent zones (RZs) are constructed for the last 5 million years based on a new database including all rodent species assemblages during the study period. In addition to the 11 refined RZs that aid in temporal sequencing of unknown rodent assemblages, three broader biozones are recognised, including an early period characterised by the Promimomys immigration event and Hemphillian holdovers, a longer, relatively warm Pliocene to early Pleistocene period dominated by primitive cricetids and archaic arvicolids, and a final zone spanning the last two million years defined by the immigration and radiation of hypselodont Microtus and large, dentally advanced species of the cotton rat, Sigmodon. Modern rodent communities are established in the later part of Biozone 3, between about 0.6–0.3 Ma.

Quaternary key-site Korchevo in Belarus: geology, paleontology and correlation

The Korchevo section with two layers of Quaternary Interglacial deposits is unique on the territory of Belarus. Deposits of this type occur in the middle part of the country at a depth of about 100 m on Narev moraine. These deposits in Korchevo were removed to the surface as a result of glaciotectonic processes and became available for paleontological studies. The location of fossil mammal fauna from Korchevo is the only one on the territory of Belarus, where the autochthonous complex of the ancient Middle Pleistocene mammals of Belarus studied on thousands remains of the of rodents teeth. The primitive root vole Mimomys intermedius (Newton) is the species of Alizarovian and Korchevian fauna. Seed flora, fauna of molluscs, insects and ostracods were the oldest in Middle Pleistocene. Paleontological studies were the basis for the allocation of stratigraphic units (Alizarovian Interglacial, Nevdian Glacial and Korchevian Interglacial) in the Middle Pleistocene of Belarus. Interglacial deposits of the key-site are very well correlated with Augustovian Interglacial formations in Poland. They correspond to parts of Cromer and Bavel complexes in the European stratigraphic scale of the Quaternary system.

New fossil and isotope evidence for the Pleistocene zoogeographic transition and hypothesized savanna corridor in peninsular Thailand

Despite the explanation that the present-day biogeographic boundary between the Indochinese and Sundaic subregions at the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part of Peninsular Thailand, in relation to differences in faunal and floral composition is almost conventionally valid for many groups of organisms, the distribution limits of modern and Pleistocene mammals in this region remain unclear. Moreover, environmental factors driving the past distribution patterns in a Southeast Asian mammal community and vegetation types contributing to the controversial hypothesis of an equatorial savanna corridor in the Thai-Malay Peninsula have rarely been demonstrated due to the scarcity of data. Since the discovery of a new Pleistocene fossil site, Yai Ruak Cave in Krabi Province, mammal fossils have been recovered from infilling sediments within the Permian karsts. On the basis of our first excavation, four mammal taxa: Hystrix cf. brachyura, Crocuta crocuta ultima, Rhinoceros sondaicus, and Rusa unicolor are taxonomically identified. A preliminary biochronological age ranging from the late Middle to early Late Pleistocene for the fauna based on the presence of C. c. ultima is proposed. The occurrence of C. c. ultima in this cave also represents the southernmost record of its known distribution, thus suggesting a non-concordant southern range limit of the Indochinese species at the Isthmus of Kra, but somewhere south of Krabi, during the Pleistocene. A bulk analysis of stable carbon isotopes investigated from tooth enamel of these mammals exhibits a variety of habitats ranging from pure C3 to C4 ecosystems, implying the existence of an open grassland landscape. The serial δ18O data collected along the tooth crown heights of R. sondaicus possibly reflect no or little seasonal variation with high annual precipitation due to a major influence of both Southwest and Northeast monsoons in the region, similar to the modern climate. Unlike today, more open vegetation/forest-grassland mosaic was however dominant in Peninsular Thailand at that time. The southward distribution range of the spotted hyaena was likely limited by the discontinuous north-south savanna corridor, latitudinally separated by a transequatorial rainforest belt, starting around the northern part of Sundaland. The ecological distinction between closed and open canopy habitats in the Thai-Malay Peninsula remarkably played a major role in confining the southward distribution of some Indochinese species and in obstructing the migration of grassland-inhabiting taxa across the Sundaic subregion during the Pleistocene glacials.

Paleoecology of Pleistocene mammals and paleoclimatic change in South China: Evidence from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes

The role of climate change in the evolution and diversification of hominoids remains a hotly debated issue. Stable isotope analyses of fossil mammals that coexisted with the hominoids can provide insights into hominoid palaeoenvironments and shed light on this debate. Here, we report results of stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of tooth enamel samples from a variety of Pleistocene mammals including pandas, deer, elephants, pigs, rhinos, and bovids from two hominoid fossil localities (Yugong Cave and Baxian Cave) in South China. Enamel δ13C values indicate that most of the mammals living in the study area during the late Middle Pleistocene had C3-based diets but a small number of individuals consumed some C4 grasses. This indicates the presence of C4 plants in the region during the late Middle Pleistocene, most likely in patches of open areas in a predominantly forested environment. However, during the early Late Pleistocene, all of the mammals examined had C3-based diets, except one bovid and one panda that may have ingested small amounts of C4 plants. This indicates a dense forested environment with little C4 grasses during the early Late Pleistocene. Like the Early Pleistocene pygmy panda (Ailuropoda microta) from Yanliang Cave, the late Middle Pleistocene Ailuropoda baconi from Yugong Cave and the early Late Pleistocene Ailuropoda melanoleuca from Baxian Cave had higher mean diet-δ13C values than other co-occurring herbivores, indicating they preferred relatively open forest habitats and had more restricted diets compared to other mammals. The reconstructed mean paleo-meteoric water δ18Ow values are lower than the annual average δ18Ow value of modern precipitation in the region, suggesting that the climatic conditions during the times when these Pleistocene mammals were alive were colder and/or wetter than today. In addition, δ18O values of the obligate drinkers (pigs, rhinos, bovids) display an overall decreasing trend, accompanied by increased range of δ18O variations, from the Early Pleistocene to the early Late Pleistocene. This suggests that the regional climate became colder and/or wetter, with increased seasonality, from the Early Pleistocene to the early Late Pleistocene, likely related to intensified glaciation. The change in climate to colder conditions may be responsible for the extinction of the Gigantopithecus in this region.

ГЕОМОРФОЛОГІЯ, НЕОТЕКТОНІКА ТА ПАЛЕОГЕОГРАФІЯ ТЕРИТОРІЇ ГЕОЛОГІЧНОЇ ПАМ'ЯТКИ "СТАРУНЯ"

A survey of geomorphological and neotectonic features around "The Starunia paleontological site" allows to produce a complete description of paleogeographic conditions and geological age of the Pleistocene mammals. The floodplain terraces I and II and a redevelopment valley have been distinguished on the geomorphological map and a sketch of cross-section of the Velyky Lukavets River valley. The location of fossil fauna (mammoth and rhinoceroses) has been indicated. The prospect of finding new extinct Pleistocene mammals preserved in bitumen and salt has been substantiated. In the late Pliocene, the northeast macro-slope of the Carpathians was dissected by many parallel river valleys transverse to the main Carpathian direction of structures and longitudinal valleys. The rivers took down coarse-grained material from the mountains that formed the high terraces and debris cones (inland delta) of the ancient Dniester valley. The latter was formed at the foot of the Carpathians, in the area of the modern village of Loyeva and the Dniester, then gradually retreated 30–40 km to the northeast and took its present location on the longitude of the town of Halych. Its block mass alluvium formed two ancient terrace plains – Krasna and Loyeva. The climate was subtropical, the type of the present Mediterranean, as evidenced by the red-brown color of the clayey cement of coarse-grained alluvium and cover clays with active migration of iron and manganese. In the early Pleistocene, in the wide swampy valley of the river Lukavets Velykyi, the winding beds of the last stage of river valleys development were quietly meandered. Monotonous dark gray to black marsh accumulations, silt clays, biogenic silts with numerous plant remains accumulated. Landscapes – tundra with dwarf birch, alder, willow etc. The climate was severe, consistent with Wurm (Valdai) glaciation (59–13 thousand years ago). Perhaps just then herds of mammoths and rhinos grazed in the valleys of the Starunia territory and our ancestors Cro-Magnons lived here. The extremely important practical value of Starunia is that further expansion of research and creation of an international ecological-tourist center – the Geopark of the Ice Age will significantly improve the socio-economic status of the village of Starunia, provide the population with new jobs and raise the level of tourism in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The authors hope that the unique phenomenon of Starunia will be preserved for future generations.

Direct ESR dating of the Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage from Khok Sung locality, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Northeast Thailand

We report here the first direct dating study of the faunal assemblage from Khok Sung locality, Thailand. This palaeontological site is of great biochronological, palaeoenvironmental and biogeographical significance. Firstly, it has yielded a rich and diversified Pleistocene vertebrate fauna with up to 15 mammalian species from 13 genera, 10 reptile species, as well as fish and bird remains. Interestingly, while most of the mainland Southeast Asian Pleistocene mammal fossils originate from cave deposits, the Khok Sung fossil layer is located within an 8 m thick fluvial terrace. Secondly, it is geographically located in an area of major importance for reconstructing the migration pathway of large mammals between South China and Java. Combined US-ESR dating of five teeth provides two possible ages of 130 ± 29 ka and 217 ± 36 ka for the fossils. The reason for the occurrence of these two age groups lies in the fact that it was not possible to obtain sediments that were directly associated with the measured samples, nor was it possible to carry out in situ gamma dose rate measurements due to the high water level. Sediment samples recovered from museum specimens show significantly variable concentrations of radioelements. Both options are equally plausible, as independent methods did not provide firm evidence favouring one or the other age range. The results illustrate the intrinsic limitations of the ESR dating method when fossil teeth are not collected in situ during the excavation. Regardless whether the age of the Khok Sung fauna corresponds to MIS 7 or early MIS5, it is nevertheless one of the oldest assemblages directly dated in the region. Further efforts are required for more accurate fossil identification and attribution and for additional numerical dating in this region to improve the biochronological framework of the Pleistocene mammalian faunas in Southeast Asia, which presently remains quite imprecise.

Parasitic diseases of woolly mammuth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799)

Paleontological studies are basically the studies of skeletal remains of organisms. However, the discovery of frozen mummies of Pleistocene mammals with preserved soft tissues and internal organs makes it possible to identify some features of animal biology that are inaccessible to the study of skeletons. Fossil frozen mummies become a valuable source of information on diet, seasons of death, migration and ecology, diseases, including parasitic diseases. The cases of detection of fossil parasites in the remains of Pleistocene mammals are always rare and random. Until recently there have been no dedicated effort to search for fossil parasites. Parasites of the Indigirka ground squirrel, the Egorov narrow-skull vole, the Pleistocene steppe bison, the Lena horse (Equus lenensis Russanov, 1968), and the woolly mammoth are known at the moment. This paper presents an overview of parasite finds in woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799). For two centuries of studies of this species, a large volume of diverse data have been accumulated. The aim of this work was a making the review of cases of detection of parasites in mammoth. We discuss the specific cases of mammoth mummy studies, namely the Berezovka mammoth, the Shandrin mammoth, the Kirgilyakh mammoth, the Sopochnaya Karga Mammoth. As a result, the presence of following ectoparasites of the order Diptera was established: Cobboldia (Mamontia) russanovi Grunin, 1973, and Protophormia terraenovae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830. The stomach botfly Cobboldia (Mamontia) russanovi is highly specific ectoparasite of woolly mammoth. Also helminths of classes Nematoda and Cestoda were found in the mammoth mummies. At the present, it is not possible to reliably determine the species-specific endoparasite of woolly mammoth.

Early bison remains from Mygdonia Basin (Northern Greece)

The continuous enrichment of the European Pleistocene mammal fossil record leads inevitably to a comprehensive forthcoming review of the biogeographic and evolutionary history of bisons on the continent. New and revised data from the post-Olduvai (<1.8 Ma)-pre-Jaramillo (>1.0 Ma) time span of the Mygdonia basin (N. Greece), exposed here, indicate the presence of a small bison referred to as Bison cf. degiulii (Masini, Palombo & Rozzi, 2013) due to its similarities with the contemporaneous type material from the Italian Peninsula. A series of minor morphometrical changes detected across chronologically successive Mygdonia bison populations is interpreted as local adaptations to harsher environmental conditions. A re-evaluation of several morphological and biometrical features of the European early bison populations in comparison with later and extant taxa leads to the reconfirmation of some characters as taxonomically and phylogenetically important, while questioning others. The results allow recognizing B. degiulii as most likely member of the true bison clade Bison (Bison) Hamilton Smith, 1827 and reconsidering the current B. (Eobison) Flerov, 1972 concept. The data from Mygdonia basin and Northern Greece confirm the short co-occurrence of Bison Hamilton Smith, 1827 and Leptobos Rütimeyer, 1877-1878 in the Balkans and suggest the appearance of at least two bison lineages in Southern Europe between 1.7-1.5 Ma.

Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) Mammalian Assemblage from Paw Paw Cove, Tilghman Island, Maryland

A small but significant assemblage of Late Pleistocene mammals was recovered from an eroding shoreline at Paw Paw Cove, located on the Chesapeake Bay side of Tilghman Island, Talbot County, Maryland. Additionally, Clovis-age (11,050–10,800 radiocarbon [14C] years before present) artifacts were found in a lag deposit beneath a loess deposit at the site. An accelerator mass spectrometry date obtained from an organic stratum below the loess at the same location suggests that this small fossil assemblage is approximately 21,000 years old. Identifiable taxa include four extinct species, Castoroides sp. (giant beaver), Equus sp. (horse), Tapirus veroensis (Vero tapir), and Mammut americanum (American mastodon), along with Canis cf. C. latrans (coyote), and Cervus elaphus (wapiti). Significantly, the tapir and giant beaver are the first records for Maryland, and the tapir is the first record from the Coastal Plain of the Chesapeake region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The provisional identification of Canis cf. C. latrans may represent the first Late Pleistocene record from the Coastal Plain of the Chesapeake region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

What happened when the Pleistocene megafauna became extinct?

This work presents an updated revision of the information about Pleistocene fauna records in archeological sites of the Pampa and Patagonian regions of South America. The purpose is to assess the role played by humans within the extinction process of Pleistocene mammals in the South Cone and the effects that the disappearance of Pleistocene large mammals had in human populations which colonized both regions. This is based on the theory of “Broken Zig-Zag”, which considers that the process was gradual in time and in different species, taking place between 15 Ka BP and 8.5 Ka BP in Patagonia and during a longer period, until ca. 7.5 Ka BP in Pampa. For this aim it was considered all those sites with accurate chronological and taxonomic information about the presence of extinct species of mega and large mammals of xenarthrans, camelids, equids and carnivores. Thus, the work is focused on three analytical lines: regional analysis of radiocarbon records of first and last taxonomic appearance, ecology and etiology of species with archeological record and variability of associations of the archaeofauna with material culture. We discuss how the first humans took possession of Pampa and Patagonian regions during and after the last part of the continental extinction process. Thus, there is a contribution with new hypotheses about the differential use of the extinct fauna in both regions. This interdisciplinary approach of social and environmental agency has not been considered in the specialized bibliography so far; therefore novel information is given for interpreting the way in which humans took possession of the fauna, not only as subsistence resources but also as other important agents in the socio-economic and symbolic relationship of humans with the landscape. On the whole, the final result is that the gregarious species of large herbivores (camelids) were the most important resources for hunter-gatherers from the beginning of human colonization. The extinct fauna influenced subsistence complementarily, though it played an important role in the social and symbolic spheres.