Woolly Mammoth Research Articles

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) during the Magdalenian in Southwestern France: zooarchaeological data and direct radiocarbon dating of a tibia from Les Combarelles cave (Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France)

Celebre depuis le debut du XXe siecle par ses gravures, la grotte des Combarelles (Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France), a livre depuis une quarantaine d’annees quelques echantillons paleontologiques lors d’interventions archeologiques ou speleologiques ponctuelles. Parmi les collections du Musee national de Prehistoire, une portion diaphysaire d’un os long de taille importante est rapportee a un tibia non epiphyse de mammouth laineux (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1798). En depit de toute precision contextuelle (topographie, chrono-culture), cet os presente le double interet de porter des traces de decoupe sur sa face caudale d’une part et d’avoir pu etre directement date d’autre part. Les deux dates radiocarbone AMS obtenues sur un fragment cortical preleve sur ce tibia sont respectivement de 14 310 ± 70 et de 14 620 ± 100 uncal BP, soit ~ 17 500 cal BP ou ~ 15 600 cal BC. Il s’agit de la premiere date AMS sur os de mammouth laineux pour le Sud-Ouest de la France. Une revision de la presence de l’espece dans les registres paleontologiques, symboliques (art parietal et art mobilier) et economiques (industrie en ivoire) est engagee et suggere que le mammouth laineux a perdure jusqu’au debut du Magdalenien superieur dans la grande plaine d’Aquitaine et les regions limitrophes.

De-Extinction.

De-extinction projects for species such as the woolly mammoth and passenger pigeon have greatly stimulated public and scientific interest, producing a large body of literature and much debate. To date, there has been little consistency in descriptions of de-extinction technologies and purposes. In 2016, a special committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a set of guidelines for de-extinction practice, establishing the first detailed description of de-extinction; yet incoherencies in published literature persist. There are even several problems with the IUCN definition. Here I present a comprehensive definition of de-extinction practice and rationale that expounds and reconciles the biological and ecological inconsistencies in the IUCN definition. This new definition brings together the practices of reintroduction and ecological replacement with de-extinction efforts that employ breeding strategies to recover unique extinct phenotypes into a single “de-extinction” discipline. An accurate understanding of de-extinction and biotechnology segregates the restoration of certain species into a new classification of endangerment, removing them from the purview of de-extinction and into the arena of species’ recovery. I term these species as “evolutionarily torpid species”; a term to apply to species falsely considered extinct, which in fact persist in the form of cryopreserved tissues and cultured cells. For the first time in published literature, all currently active de-extinction breeding programs are reviewed and their progress presented. Lastly, I review and scrutinize various topics pertaining to de-extinction in light of the growing body of peer-reviewed literature published since de-extinction breeding programs gained public attention in 2013.

Late Quaternary environments on the far southwestern edge of Beringia

Palynological and plant macrofossil data and remains of Mammuthus primigenius from the Tanon quarry (59° 40′ N, 151° 12′ E) provide much needed information about environments in southwestern Beringia during the Middle Holocene and marine isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 3. During the Middle Holocene, Larix-Betula forest characterized the Tanon region and differed from the Larix forests of interior Western Beringia. Betula platyphylla, which today is more common in moderate regions of the Far East, was an important component of the coastal forest near the quarry and possibly was more extensive in the coastal lowland. Ecological and quantitative models suggest that the coastal region experienced longer growing seasons and warmer summer temperatures, which could support the expansion of tree Betula. The MIS 2 palynological assemblage from Tanon indicates a prevalence of mesic and xeric herb-dominated tundra. However, the macrofossil data consist largely of taxa found in forest or forest-tundra with only a minor contribution by steppe species. The Tanon results agree with the larger paleovegetation database from Beringia, which suggests that steppe was not widespread during the Late Pleistocene but rather the landscape was characterized by a mosaic of tundra types. The Tanon site provides the first information about MIS 3 coastal vegetation, indicating the presence of Larix-Betula forest within valleys and shrub tundra at higher elevations. The discovery of Mammuthus primigenius in the quarry marks the southernmost population of Late Pleistocene mammoths in Western Beringia.

Un diente de cría de mamut (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach 1799, Proboscidea) procedente del Musteriense de la Cueva de la Arbreda (Serinyà, NE de la Península Ibérica)

Los restos de crías de mamut son raros en el registro fósil de la Península Ibérica. Hasta ahora, en Cataluña, se conocen solo en la cueva de les Teixoneres (Moià), dónde se acaba de publicar una dP2 (Álvarez-Lao et al., 2017). En este artículo, se presenta un nuevo descubrimiento de un resto de cría de mamut procedente del nivel J de la cueva de la Arbreda. Su cronología es imprecisa por la falta de dataciones absolutas fiables. A pesar de todo, la presencia de industria lítica musteriense, las dataciones en 14C de la parte alta del nivel supreyacente (I) y los resultados de las series de uranio en la base de la columna estratigráfica permiten afirmar una cronologia relacionada con el MIS-3 antiguo u MIS-4, con una antigüedad superior a los c. 44 ka BP.
 La pieza C5 EC135 2302 es un dp3 izquierdo de mamut que perteneció a una cría de alrededor de un año de edad al momento de su muerte. Los estudios morfológicos y morfométricos señalan una atribución taxonómica a Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach 1799. El contexto faunístico de este resto no es el de los típicos ambientes de tundra-estepa euroasiáticos, donde predominan las especies adaptadas al frío. Contrariamente, el nivel J de la Arbreda muestra un conjunto típico de las faunas del último glaciar ibérico donde las especies euritérmicas y de ambientes templados dominan sobre las de clima frío. Teniendo en cuenta los estudios previos sobre el registro fósil de las faunas adaptadas al frío en la Península Ibérica, el deinte de la Arbreda se sitúa cerca del segundo episodio dispersivo del mamut lanudo, aunque más antiguo. De hecho, el resto de mamut de la Arbreda nos explica que este evento dispersivo probablemente empezó con anterioridad a lo que se establecía.

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.

Aberrant woolly mammoth remains in the collection of the Ice Age Museum

The largest private natural history museum dedicated to the last stage of the Cenozoic history of northeastern Russia, the Ice Age Museum stores and studies the remains of fossil and modern Arctic mammals. Its funds include skeletons, isolated bones and teeth. A special place in the collection is occupied by the remains of a mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799), with unusual and rarely encountered morphological features. The aberrant specimens are divided into three groups: skeletal remains, bones and teeth. The most expressive of them are characterized. Abnormalities found on the skeleton of a mammoth female from the Taimyr Peninsula (displacement of teeth m2 and m3 transversely to the mandibular bone, lifetime fractures of the ribs and incomplete fusion of the neural arc of the atlas), we attribute to individual characteristics. Growth of thoracic vertebrae tissues due to ligamentos and ostephitos, considerable deformations of cervical and thoracic vertebrae are pathologies that hampered the life of mammoths and led to death. The most frequent of them, according to our materials, is the bend of the posterior part of the crown (varying degrees of intensity) and the development of horizontal furrows parallel to the level of the chewing surface and the lysis of the outer cement as a result of the action of the oral microorganisms. The most frequent deviations in the structure of the buccal teeth, according to our materials, are two: 1) the bend of the posterior part of the crown (varying degrees of intensity); 2) the dissolution lines on the cement of the crown parallel to the chewing surface as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms in the oral cavity. New cases of tusks’ aberrations are described: dentinal clots in the wall of the tusk alveoli and at the base of the tusk, annular constrictions fixing the growth retardation, deviations in the formation of annual cone-shaped increments. The aberrant remains illustrate the life history of a fossil elephant.

To the 100th anniversary of Vadim Evgen’evich Garutt (October 12, 1917 – March 28, 2002)

The article contains a biography of the famous Russian paleontologist V.E. Garutt (1917–2002), the oldest research worker of the Zoological institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, who studied the Pleistocene elephants of Northern Eurasia. He published more than 70 scientific papers on the origin and evolution of elephants of mammoth line, the morphology, changeability and features of the development of ancient proboscides. V.E. Garutt suggested two subfamilies Primelephantinae and Loxodontinae. He is the author of several taxa of fossil elephants of the generic, specific and subspecific levels. On his initiative, the skeleton of the Taimyr mammoth was adopted as the neotype of the woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius. He actively defended the independence of the genus Archidiskodon. A number of famous and important for the science paleontological specimens (skulls and skeletons of southern elephants, trogontherine and woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses and elasmotherium) were restored and mounted by V.E. Garutt. They adorn a number of museums and institutes in Russia (St. Petersburg, Stavropol, Pyatigorsk, Azov, Rostov-on-Don) and abroad (Tbilisi, Vilnius, Edersleben, Sangerhausen). In addition, V.E. Garutt was an active popularizer of paleontological science. He collected a scientific archive on the remains of elephants from many regions of the former Soviet Union and some countries of Western Europe, which is now stored in the Azov museum-reserve (Azov). Several grateful pupils began their way in paleontology under the leader ship of V.E. Garutt. And they continue active work nowadays.

A comparative study of woolly mammoths from the Gravettian site Kraków Spadzista (Poland), based on estimated shoulder heights, demography, and life conditions

AbstractThis article interprets the life conditions of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) from the Upper Paleolithic archaeological site Kraków Spadzista in Poland. We propose that the mammoths’ irregular mortality profile (also known as age profile) was shaped over several decades by major death events, which serially depleted the youngest cohorts. Taphonomic data and comparisons with other Eurasian archaeological and nonarchaeological sites provide context for hypothesizing that the mammoth-bone assemblage was accumulated at least partly through opportunistic human hunting of the most vulnerable animals in mixed herds. Humans exploited heightened mammoth vulnerability during climatic stress periods, killing and butchering most of the animals, although some mammoths in the assemblage may have died from natural causes. The evidence for environmental stress affecting the mammoths includes paleoecological data about local climatic conditions, the abundant signs of mammoth-bone abnormalities in the assemblage, the relatively smaller size of adult female mammoths compared with those from the similarly dated archaeological site Milovice I (Czech Republic), and the unusually high proportion of juvenile mammoths in the assemblage.

Impact of climate and humans on the range dynamics of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) in Europe during MIS 2

AbstractThe woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was widespread in almost all of Europe during the late Pleistocene. However, its distribution changed because of population fluctuations and range expansions and reductions. During Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2), these processes were highly dynamic. Our analyses of 318 radiocarbon dates from 162 localities, obtained directly from mammoth material, confirmed important changes in mammoth range between ~28.6 and ~14.1 ka. The Greenland stadial 3 interval (27.5–23.3 ka) was the time of maximum expansion of the mammoth in Europe during MIS 2. The continuous range was soon fragmented and reduced, resulting in the disappearance of Mammuthus during the last glacial maximum from ~21.4 to ~19.2 ka in all parts of the North European Plain. It is not clear whether mammoths survived in the East European Plain. The mammoth returned to Europe soon after ~19.0 ka, and for the next 3–4 millennia played an important role in the lifeways of Epigravettian societies in eastern Europe. Mammoths became extinct in most of Europe by ~14.0 ka, except for core areas such as the far northeast of Europe, where they survived until the beginning of the Holocene. No significant correlation was found between the distribution of the mammoth in Europe and human activity.

L’exploitation de la faune par les groupes humains du Pléniglaciaire supérieur à Eliseevichi 1 (Russie)

The archaeological site of Eliseevichi 1, located in the Dnieper River Basin, was discovered in 1930 by K.M. Polikarpovich. It is contemporary of Epigravettian occupations of the end of the second half of the upper Pleniglacial (20,000–14,000 years BP). As for the sites of the culture of Mezine (Mezine, Mezhirich, Gontsy and Dobranitchevka), it was interpreted as a specialized camp of hunters, mainly for slaughtering woolly mammoths and fur exploitation. Moreover, mammoth bones have been used to build larger structures than in mezinian sites associated with storage pits, as in Timonovka I, Yudinovo, Yourevitchi, Suponevo and Chulatovo. However, Eliseevichi 1 differs from all other sites by the presence of ivory engraved pieces with zigzag patterns and multiple linear features and the presence of platelets with decorations in the form of fish scales (“churingas”) and the high number of chisels. These features make it a unique case in the Desna Valley. To better understand the activities that have been implemented within the site by human groups, particularly the role of different species, we processed to the zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains from the 1935–1936 excavations. The faunal spectrum is restricted, typical of a cold and dry environment, with Mammuthus primigenius, Rangifer tarandus, Canis lupus, Alopex lagopus rossicus and Ursus arctos. Two skulls were previously identified as being those of dogs. According to the taphonomical study we highlighted a quick and deep burying of bones, which were affected by freeze-thaw alternating, without being highly altered and moved by phenomena of cryoturbation. The woolly mammoth was used for its meat and for its ivory. The many remains of canids are characterized by skinning marks and long bones were sawed. The presence of ocher, ashy areas, crude lithic fragments, could be linked to the treatment of skins. The site of Eliseevichi 1 was probably occupied during winter and summer seasons, several times during a long period. It could have two main functions, not as a habitat but as a specialized site of furskin and bone production.

Testosterone in ancient hair from an extinct species

AbstractTestosterone is a key regulator in vertebrate development, physiology and behaviour. Whereas technology allows extraction of a wealth of genetic information from extant as well as extinct species, complementary information on steroid hormone levels may add a social, sexual and environmental context. Hair shafts have been previously used to sequence DNA from >50 000 14C years old Siberian woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius). Hair‐testing has also been used to measure endogenous steroids in multiple extant species. Here we use small quantities of woolly mammoth hair samples to measure testosterone, and a genomics‐based approach to determine sex, in permafrost‐preserved mammoths dated to c. 10 000–60 000 14C years. Our validated method opens up exciting opportunities to measure multiple steroids in keratinized tissues from extinct populations of mammals. This may be specifically applied to investigating life histories, including the extinct Quaternary megafauna populations whose remains are preserved in the permafrost throughout the northern hemisphere.

Mammoths, Deer, and a Dog: Fossil and (Sub) Recent Allochthonous Remains from the Northeastern Croatia (Podravina Region), with the First Radiocarbon Dating of the Croatian Woolly Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius)

Eight anatomically and taxonomically different finds are presented in this paper, and they belong to four taxa: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and dog (Canis familiaris). All specimens represent allochthonous Late Pleistocene and Holocene animal remains, and all were dredged during the gravel exploitation at the Sekuline site near Molve (Podravina region, SW Pannonian basin, NE Croatia). Mammoth remains (bone and tusk fragments) were radiocarbon dated, and these are the first absolute dates on mammoths in Croatia. One upper last left deciduous premolar (dP4 sin.) also belongs to the same species. Ascribed to a dog is one well-preserved skull with a peculiar abscess scar on the maxillary bone as the result of an inflammatory process on the carnassial (P4) premolar. The Late Pleistocene cervid remains are giant deer, while the other cervid finds were determined to be red deer of the Holocene age. Morphometrical and taphonomical data are presented for each specimen. Such fossil and recent bone/tooth aggregates are characteristic of fluvial deposits and selective collecting. Although lacking stratigraphic provenance, these finds help to fulfil the gaps in palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological, and palaeoclimate reconstructions of Podravina and its neighbouring areas.

Collagen stable isotopes provide insights into the end of the mammoth steppe in the central East European plains during the Epigravettian

AbstractHigher δ15N values in bone collagen of mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) compared with coeval large herbivores is a classic trait of the mammoth steppe. An exception applies to the Epigravettian site of Mezhyrich (ca. 18–17.4 ka cal BP) in the central East European plains, where mammoth bones have δ15N values equivalent to or in a lower range than those of horse specimens (Equussp.). We expanded our preliminary dataset to a larger sampling size of mammoth, other large herbivores, and carnivores from contemporaneous and nearby sites of Buzhanka 2, Eliseevichi, and Yudinovo. The unusual low mammoth δ15N values were confirmed at Buzhanka 2 and for some specimens from Eliseevichi, while most individuals from Yudinovo displayed the expected high δ15N values, meaning similar to those of the large canids. The possibility of a contrast in migration pattern is not supported since the δ34S values, a marker of mobility, do not correlate with the δ15N values of mammoth bone collagen. No clear chronological tendency could be revealed, at least not at the scale of radiocarbon dating. The low range in δ15N values is likely to reflect a change in the specific niche of the mammoth in the southern part of its distribution.

Deciduous Tusks and Small Permanent Tusks of the Woolly Mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799) Found on Beaches in The Netherlands

Tusks of very young mammoths and other proboscideans are extremely rare in the fossil record. This article presents all deciduous tusks and newly-developing permanent tusks of woolly mammoths which are known from Dutch localities and the North Sea. Four deciduous tusks are from The Netherlands and one is from Germany. Five specimens of newly-developing permanent tusks are also discussed. In this article, we present several characteristics and details of those tusks such as presence/absence of roots, and cementum and enamel layers that should facilitate an identification when new findings are made. We also describe a dental element, a digitelle, that is easily mistaken for a tusk of a juvenile woolly mammoth.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXCLUSIVE GEOLOGICAL EXHIBITS FOR UNCONVENTIONAL NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION

Vilnius University Geology museum resources are perfectly fit for: education, geoscientific knowledge propagation, informal natural science education (Rudnickaitė, 2007; 2012; ect.). An idea to popularize and spread natural science, had been realized by a three month display of an unique exhibit. Thanks to JSC „PALEO GROUP“ (director Michail Ivanov) Anjou mammoth „Gosha“ becomes a hero of this exibition. Woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius Skeleton length-5 m, height-3.1 m, weight 595 kg. Tusks length-4 m, weight of each -65 kg, diameter -16 cm Expedition of Yuzefovich V. F. and Yuri Chumakin in August 2003 had discovered the skeleton of a mammoth in the exposed by a landslide coastal slope of the river Dragotsennaya in the estuarine portion of it, the arrow of Anjou (Kotelniy island, SAKHA Republic), at the confluence of the river into the sea. Of all known finds of mammoth skeletons, this finding can be considered the most Northern location. In fresh coastal sediments, with a capacity of 30-40 m, at a depth of 6 m from the surface, edges of the left side of the chest, the humerus and most of the left tusk were exposed in frozen rocks. During the field season the excavation of thawed soil managed to extract the bones of the skeleton of the mammoth and its tusks. The completeness of the skeleton is 80%. Major long bones of the extremities indicate individual is tall, not less than 4-4,5 m at the withers. The ribs of the mammoth skeleton are perfectly preserved. On the right side of the skeleton, on the last rib there is clearly visible pathological formation of bone callus in areas of fracture. Consequently, it can also confirm that a large male mother had repeatedly participated in tournament battles with rivals. Morphology of teeth crowns is typical for woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius. Such a unique geologic (peleontologic) find beeing the first of its kind on display in Lithuania, aquired a lot of attention from the media and in social networks. Purpose of the exhibition to attract as many visitors, to popularize geology and other natural sciences was achieved. Acknowlegment: Many thanks go to JSC „PALEO GROUP“ and its Director Michail Ivanov. Keywords: Museum of geology, Vilnius university, mammoth skeleton, unconventional natural science education.

Complete mitochondrial genome of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) from Maly Lyakhovsky Island (New Siberian Islands, Russia) and its phylogenetic assessment

We present a complete sequence and an annotation of the mitochondrial genome of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found in 2012 on Maly Lyakhovsky Island (North-Eastern Siberia, Russia). The genome was 16,851 bp long and contained 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes. It was AT reach (61.3%) with A = 32.9%, T = 28.4%, C = 25.3%, and G = 13.4%.

Mammoths inside the Alps during the last glacial period: Radiocarbon constraints from Austria and palaeoenvironmental implications

This study examines remains of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found inside the Austrian Alps, an area occupied by an extensive ice-stream network during the Last Glacial Maximum. The data demonstrate that these cold steppe-adapted animals locally migrated several tens of kilometers into alpine valleys. Radiocarbon analyses constrain the age of these fossils to the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 3, documenting ice-free conditions in major valleys at that time.We also provide a list of all traceable Austrian sites of Mammuthus primigenius, totaling about 230 localities, compiled through 15 museums and collections in Austria. The vast majority of these findings are from the corridors of the Danube and Mur rivers and their tributaries and the adjacent loess-covered foreland of the Alps, areas that were never ice-covered during Pleistocene glaciations.

Meet the new mammoth, same as the old? Resurrecting the Mammuthus primigenius

Media reporters often announce that we are on the verge of bringing back the woolly mammoth, even while there is growing consensus among scientists that resurrecting the mammoth is unlikely. In fact, current “de-extinction” efforts are not designed to bring back a mammoth, but rather adaptations of the mammoth using close relatives. For example, Harvard scientists are working on creating an Asian elephant with the thick coat of a mammoth by merging mammoth and elephant DNA. But how should such creatures be classified? Are they elephants, mammoths, or both? Answering these questions requires getting clear about the concept of reproduction. What I hope to show is that with an appropriate notion of reproduction—one for which I will argue—resurrecting a member of Mammuthus primigenius is a genuine possibility.

Another perspective on the age and origin of the Berelyokh mammoth site (northeast Siberia)

AbstractThe Berelyokh site includes an exceptional bone horizon consisting of 8431 remains of Mammuthus primigenius. Previous investigations, spanning ~40 years, concluded that the deaths and bone concentration were caused by spring flooding, possibly related to wetter Bølling climates. We review work from these studies with emphasis on under-reported palynological data to provide more detail on paleoenvironmental reconstructions and an alternative interpretation for the age and origin of the bone bed. Palynological results suggest the horizon formed under cool conditions of the last glacial maximum, rather than during a Bølling-type oscillation. Presence of permafrost features and associated tundra pollen taxa in the Berelyokh sections suggest that thermokarst processes, unrelated to climate change, could account for the formation of the bone horizon. The penetration of surface waters into frozen sediments of a high floodplain terrace resulted in the formation of hidden thaw sinks. As thaw continued, the pits expanded with surface soils supported by a viscous water-sediment mixture. The weakened surface gave way under the weight of the mammoths, with the hillside collapsing either due to the animals’ struggles or destabilization related to the thaw sinks. This scenario highlights the hazards of thermokarst terrain for present and future populations of northern animals.

Dietary reconstruction of Plio-Pleistocene proboscideans from the Carpathian Basin of Romania using enamel microwear

The paleodietary ecology of Late Pliocene-Late Pleistocene proboscideans (Anancus arvernensis, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, Mammut borsoni, Mammuthus meridionalis, Mammuthus trogontheriii and Mammuthus primigenius) from two Moldavian Republic localities and eight Romanian localities of the Carpathian Basin was investigated using enamel microwear. Results show a great degree of dietary flexibility as well as a temporal pattern involving the incorporation of more grass through time. Anancus avernensis, Mammut borsoni (Late Pliocene) and Mammuthus meridionalis (Early Pleistocene) have scratch/pit results consistent with browsing on leaves and twigs. Palaeoloxodon antiquus has scratch pit results indicating heavy reliance on browse, whereas Mammuthus trogontherii (Middle Pleistocene) and Mammuthus primigenius (Late Pleistocene) exhibited results typical of alternating between browsing and grazing. Mammuthus primigenius has some individuals occupied with pure grazing. Average scratch widths are largest and scratch textures are more homogenous in taxa that display results consistent with pure browsing (i.e., Mammut borsoni, Anancus arvernensis, and Mammuthus meridionalis) and suggest a relatively narrow food regime most likely relying on more twigs and bark than mixed feeding taxa which have smaller average scratch widths but a more heterogenous scratch textural array consistent with incorporating a greater variety of food items into their dietary regime such as leaves, twigs, bark and grass (i.e., Palaeoloxodon antiquus, Mammuthus trogontheriii, and Mammuthus primigenius). Results reveal a flexible, generalist strategy in proboscideans with a derived hypsodont and lophodont dentition and suggest that hypsodonty, once derived does not preclude feeding on relatively non-abrasive dietary items.