Megafauna

Arguments that megafaunal extinctions in Australia were anthropogenically mediated have focused on establishing terminal appearance ages. This approach has been underpinned by three principle tenets: (1) if megafauna disappeared before significant climate change, but after human colonisation, then it can be inferred that extinctions were human mediated; (2) climate change within the last glacial cycle was unremarkable relative to previous cycles; and (3) all or most Pleistocene megafauna were present when people arrived on the continent. We review the evidence for human causation and note mounting evidence suggesting that the last 400–300 ka in Australia has been characterised by escalating aridity and climatic variability, culminating in the breach of a hydrological threshold within the last glacial cycle. Only 21 species (35%) of megafauna whose disappearance has been attributed to human activity are known to have
persisted after the Penultimate Glacial Maximum, a time of undoubtedly severe climate change. Thus, 39 species of megafauna (65%) cannot be reliably placed within 85,000 years of firm evidence for human arrival, ca 50–43 ka. At most eight species (13%) were clearly present at this time. Four or more persisted until the onset of full glacial conditions at ca 30 ka. We argue for a falsifiable model of staggered extinction in which most megafaunal extinctions predated human arrival and with the influence of people as a minor superimposition on broader trends in train since middle Pleistocene times.

This opinion paper asks: Could civilization as we know it be fed directly from wild nature, substituting livestock for wildlife as a food source? A diversity of herbivores, hunted in the wild could act as a large-scale sustainable food supply, solving a host of secondary problems by swapping huge areas of monocultural fodder-crop fields for wild ecosystems. Dubbed the wild food-system (WFS)-hypothesis this novel form of land use, is approached as a potential alternative to the modern widespread systems of meat production. The technique is comparable to sustainable fishing on land. If proven sustainable and productive, WFS holds the potential of restoring enormous areas of farmland back into wild ecosystems. This could redefine the terms of land- distribution and be a gamechanger in biodiversity conservation, food security and carbon sequestration. In order to work, obviously, WFS would need to be sufficiently providing. Crucially, a new body of literature show that wild ecosystems until around the rise of agriculture might have supported wildlife in quantities and densities far higher than today. The “agricultural densities” of wildlife s rested on extirpated ecological functions that may be revived by active restoration and rewilding. This paper estimates the productivity of WFS from several anges: There are cases of productive and sustainable utilization of wildlife as food source on intermediate scale, indicating WFS could be possible. Furthermore, the defining traits of wild plant communities seem to boost net productivity and stability compared to agricultural plant communities. It is estimated that maximum sustainable yield for a wild food-system in Northern Europe roughly equates the yield/area in extensive livestock farming. It is concluded that by adhering to key ecological rules, the output of WFS could possibly be generous yet completely sustainable. Will WFS work? There are grounds to warrant further discussion and analysis of WFS´ potential, but lack of empirical data leaves the question open.

Proposed explanations for the terminal Pleistocene large mammal extinction event in North America include climate warming and/or cooling, overhunting by early humans, disease, and bolide detonation or impact. A key assumption common to all these scenarios is that large mammals present in North America near the end of the Pleistocene were also present in similar abundance, with similar geographic distributions, during earlier, equally severe periods of climate change (e.g., w130 ka BP). This assumption is challenged here. An important difference in the latest Pleistocene was the profusion and geographic extent of the genus Bison, particularly in the American West. During the late Pleistocene, south of the glacial ice, the species Bison antiquus was more widely distributed and present in greater profusion than earlier species such as the larger B. latifrons. The increased abundance of these large, aggressive, herd dwelling ruminants in the late Pleistocene constitutes a critical difference between this time period and earlier, similarly intense interglacials. Extinction scenarios for Pleistocene North America should avoid assuming a relatively static long-term faunal component, and account for the impacts of non-human immigrant species on natives, particularly when immigration events are close in time and space with climate changes.

The Coats-Hines Archaeological Site (40WM31) consists of a Paleoindian butchering site and Pleistocene bone bed located in northern Williamson County, TN. The modern site area is situated on a residential property immediately south of a deeply-incised wet weather stream channel. During the late Pleistocene epoch (ca. 27,000–11,000 BC) the site area included a shallow, intermittent pond, the maximum extent of which has not yet been archaeologically defined. Archaeological examinations since 1977 have documented remains from various species which visited the pond including horse, deer, muskrat, canid, turtle, and at least three mastodons. Excavations in 1994 recovered Paleoindian artifacts from the site in direct association with mastodon remains. Those excavations also identified cut marks on mastodon bones indicative of butchering with stone tools. Radiocarbon dates indicate that this butchering activity occurred between approximately 11,000 and 13,000 BC.

The Coats-Hines site has not been widely published to date, and consequently the integrity of the site and its potential to yield significant data on the lifeways of the earliest Americans have been largely overlooked by Paleoindan scholars. However, archaeological testing in October, 2010 by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology and Middle Tennessee State University reaffirmed that Coats-Hines contains intact deposits in the form of both Pleistocene faunal remains and Paleoindian artifacts. These deposits are sealed beneath nearly 9 feet of archaeologically-sterile overburden, and have been securely dated through a combination of radiocarbon and OCR analysis. The site maintains its preservation, context, and ability to contribute important archaeological data, and is consequently eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

In August of 1971, the partial skeleton of a sabertooth cat (Smilodon floridanus) was discovered during construction of the First American National Bank at the corner of 4th and Union Streets in downtown Nashville. This find captured the attention of the public, and was the subject of numerous local and national general-interest articles during the early 1970s. The Smilodon became an integral part of Nashville iconography in 1997 when it was selected as the logo for the Predators hockey team and the inspiration for their mascot, Gnash. Despite the initial interest that the find generated and the recent prevalence of sabertooth imagery along lower Broadway, the cave site was largely forgotten by the late-1970s, and was not revisited again by archaeologists until 2008. That year, staff from the Tennessee Division of Archaeology reentered the cave in order to assess its condition 37 years after its discovery.

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was an emblematic and key species of the so-called mammoth steppe ecosystem between ca. 110,000 and 12,000 years ago. Its contribution to human subsistence during the Gravettian period as source of raw material was documented in southwestern France and southwestern Germany, with some evidence of active hunting in the latter region. However, decreasing genetic diversity and increasing indications of nutritional stress point to a likely decline of this megaherbivore. The specificity of the ecological niche occupied by the woolly mammoth is clearly reflected by their collagen 13C and 15N abundances (δ13Ccoll and δ15Ncoll), measured on skeletal remains of the typical mammoth steppe. The abundances of carbon-13 in mammoth collagen are comparable to those of other grazers like horse (Equus sp.), while the nitrogen-15 abundances are significantly higher (about 3‰) than in the other herbivores, either horse or reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). During the Aurignacian and Gravettian occupation at Geißenklösterle in the Ach Valley (Germany), the mammoths had the expected stable isotope signature, but the nitrogen-15 of horses showed an unexpected overlap with those of the mammoth. This unusual pattern was already occurring during the Aurignacian, while the oxygen-18 abundances in bone phosphate (δ18Obp) of horse and reindeer were unchanged between Aurignacian and Gravettian periods, which rules out significant change in environmental and climatic conditions. Thus, we hypothesize that during the Aurignacian and Gravettian, the ecological niche of mammoth was intact but not occupied intensively by mammoths due to a decline in their population. This decline could be tentatively explained by human pressure through hunting. In Dordogne (France), decreasing horse and reindeer δ15Ncoll values coeval to decreasing horse δ18Obp values between the Aurignacian and the Early Gravettian periods reflected a clear change in the environment, while no contrast in δ15Ncoll values was observed between the Early and Final Gravettian at the Abri Pataud. The mammoth of Dordogne yielded slightly higher δ15Ncoll values than expected, probably as a consequence of the nursing effect since all the analyzed samples were ivory instead of bone. The direct dating and sulphur-34 measurement on the ivory of the Early Gravettian at Pataud showed that almost all of them were of contemporaneous and local origin. Significant contrasts in δ34Scoll values were found between the Dordogne and the Ach Valley for the same herbivores species, which confirms the potential of sulphur-34 in collagen as a mobility tracker.

The Gravettian site of Předmostí I in the central Moravian Plain has yielded a rich and diverse large mammal fauna dated around 25-27,000 14C years BP (ca. 29,500–31,500 cal BP). This fauna includes numerous carnivores (cave lion, wolf, brown bear, polar fox, wolverine) and herbivores (reindeer, large bovine, red deer, muskox, horse, woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth) whose trophic position could be reconstructed using stable isotopic tracking (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) of bone collagen (n=63). Among large canids, two morphotypes, “Pleistocene wolves” and “Palaeolithic dogs”, were considered, and two human bones attributed to the Gravettian assemblage of Předmostí I were also sampled. The trophic system around the Gravettian settlement of Předmostí I showed the typical niche partitioning among herbivores and carnivores seen in other mammoth-steppe contexts. The contribution of the analyzed prey species to the diet of the predators, including humans, was evaluated using a Bayesian mixing model (SIAR). Lions included great amounts of reindeer/muskox and possibly bison in their diet, while Pleistocene wolves were more focused on horse and possibly mammoth. Strong reliance on mammoth meat was found for the human of the site, similarly to previously analyzed individuals from other Gravettian sites in Moravia. Interestingly, the large canids interpreted as “Palaeolithic dogs” had a high proportion of reindeer/muskox in their diet, while consumption of mammoth would be expected from the availability of this prey especially in case of close interaction with humans. The peculiar isotopic composition of the Palaeolithic dogs of Předmostí I may indicate some control of their dietary intake by Gravettian people, who could have use them more for transportation than hunting purpose.

Se ofrece una extensa revisión bibliográfica y hemerográfica de los trabajos paleontológicos realizados en el Valle de Puebla desde principios del siglo xx hasta la actualidad. Se hace especial énfasis en los estudios efectuados por el Proyecto Valsequillo y la Fundación Alemana para la Investigación Científica, dado que estos aportaron las mayores contribuciones al conocimiento de la paleontología del Valle de Puebla. Además, se proporcionan datos inéditos sobre las exploraciones que dieron origen a la colección paleontológica del extinto Museo de Historia Natural de Puebla y se comenta sobre el inicio de las investigaciones actuales y su perspectiva hacia el futuro.

This review explores what past environmental change in Africa—and African people's response to it—can teach us about how to cope with life in the Anthropocene. Organized around four drivers of change—climate; agriculture and pastoralism; megafauna; and imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism (ICC)—our review zooms in on key regions and debates, including desertification; rangeland degradation; megafauna loss; and land grabbing. Multiscale climate change is a recurring theme in the continent's history, interacting with increasingly intense human activities from several million years onward, leading to oscillating, contingent environmental changes and societally adaptive responses. With high levels of poverty, fast population growth, and potentially dramatic impacts expected from future climate change, Africa is emblematic of the kinds of social and ecological precariousness many fear will characterize the future globally. African people's innovation and adaptation to contingency may place them among the avant-garde with respect to thinking about Anthropocene conditions, strategies, and possibilities.

Ecomorphological and biogeochemical (trace element, and carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope ratios) analyses have been used for determining the dietary niches and habitat preferences of large mammals from lower Pleistocene deposits at Venta Micena (Guadix-Baza Basin, Spain). The combination of these two approaches takes advantage of the strengths and overcome the weak- ness of both approaches. The range of δ13Ccollagen values for ungulate species indicates that C3 plants were dominant in the diet of these mammals. δ13Ccollagen values vary among ungulates: perissodactyls have the lowest values and bovids the highest ones, with cervids showing intermediate values. The hypsodonty index measured in lower molar teeth and the relative length of the lower premolar tooth row indicate that the horse, Equus altidens, was a grazing species, whereas the rhino, Stephanorhinus etruscus, was a mixed feeder in open habitats. The similar δ13Ccollagen values shown in both perissodactyls does not reflect differences in feeding behavior with other ungulates, but rather a lower isotope enrichment factor in these monogastric herbivores than in ruminants, owing to their lower metabolic efficiency. The cervids Eucladoceros giulii and Dama sp. show low hypsodonty values, indicating that they were mixed feeders or browsers from forested habitats, an ecomorphologically based conclusion corroborated in the former by its low δ15Ncollagen content (canopy effect). Bovid species (Bovini aff. Leptobos, Soergelia minor, and Hemitragus albus) presumably inhabited open environments, according to their comparatively high hypsodonty and δ15Ncollagen values. Carnivore species (Homotherium latidens, Megantereon whitei, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, Canis falconeri, and Canis etruscus) exhibit higher δ15Ncollagen values than ungulates. These results record the isotopic enrichment expected with an increase in trophic level and are also supported by low bone Sr:Zn ratios. The elevated δ15Ncollagen value for a sample of Mammuthus meridionalis, which came from an individual with unfused epiphyses, confirms that it was a suckling animal. The δ15Ncollagen value of the scimitar-cat H. latidens is well above that obtained for the young individual of Mammuthus, which indicates that juvenile elephants were an important part of its diet. The hippo, Hippopotamus antiquus, yielded unexpectedly high δ15Ncollagen values, which suggest feeding on aquatic, non-N2-fixing plants. The high δ18Ohydroxyl values of bovids Hemitragus and Soergelia and of cervid Dama indicate that these ungulates obtained most of their water requirements from the vegetation. The megaherbivores and Eucladoceros exhibit the lowest δ18Ohydroxyl values, which suggest increased water dependence for them. Paleosynecological analysis was based on the relative abundance of species of large mammals from different ecological categories, determined by feeding behavior and locomotion types. The comparison of the frequencies of such categories in Venta Micena with those found in modern African communities indicates that the composition of the paleocommunity closely resembles those of savannas with tall grass and shrubs. The net above-ground primary productivity estimated for the on-crop biomass of the mammalian species preserved in the fossil assem- blage also yields a figure congruent with that expected for an open environment.

Systematic collecting from fluviatile Pleistocene fossil deposits of the Darling Downs, southeasternQueensland, Australia, has led to an increase in the region’s fossil record of bandicoots. Isoodon obesulus, Perameles bougainville and P. nasuta are reported for the first time in the Darling Downs fossil record. Accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates based on charcoal from bandicoot fossil-bearing stratigraphic horizons indicates deposition 45–40 ka. Additional material attributed to the recently described Darling Downs P. sobbei is also described. P. sobbei retains plesiomorphic characters in the upper dentition including reduction of themetaconule onM3 and the lack of posterior cingula on M2 and M3. Phylogenetic interpretation of dental characters suggests that P. sobbei has closer affinities to the Pliocene P. bowensis than to any modern species. The presence of extant species such as P. bougainvilleandI. obesulus as fossils provides evidence that scrublandsandclosed woodlands with dense understories existed on the Darling Downs during the Pleistocene. The Darling Downs bandicoot assemblage represents the only known fauna, fossil or modern, where I. obesulus, P. bougainvilleandP. nasuta occur sympatrically. ThePleistoceneDarlingDownsmayhavehadamore equable climate than occurs today and a greater range of habitat niches to support such populations. The southern and western contraction of the geographical ranges of I. obesulus and P. bougainville between the Pleistocene and the present was probably the result of significant environmental change
that may have involved the contraction of woodlands and expansion of grasslands. The persistence of P. nasuta populations on the Darling Downs from the Pleistocene to the present may reflect that species’ ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats.

Merrilees’ seminal theory ‘Man the Destroyer’ was developed using local evidence from the Murchison region in the Mid West. Such concepts cannot be effectively researched without addressing site-specific evidence to support regional models. Many landscapes, specifically within Australia, are the result of complex processes that impact our ability to source archaeological data that support these grand theories. The Murchison is certainly one such region, with intricate alluvial systems that possess discontinuous sedimentary records, influencing our accessibility to archaeological material within it. The megafaunal and artefact discoveries that were used to support Merrilees’ theory are embedded within alluvium of the Murchison that has been collectively named ‘Murchison Cement/s’. The informal application of this term has led to ambiguity regarding which artefacts were extracted from the fossil-bearing stratigraphic unit, now dated to 56 ky BP.
A field trip in May 2013 to the site of Ballinu (Ballinyoo) Springs revealed yet another megafaunal fossil and a possible artefact embedded in deposits in the riverbed. The stratigraphy of this single site provides the foundation for new research, which focuses on contextualising museum artefacts sourced from the Ballinu Springs region from their attached sediment. Detailed sedimentological analysis of this thesis highlights pedogenic and geomorphic features used to identify artefacts that have a conceivable association with megafaunal remains. This information also provides a preliminary insight into the alluvial regimes and deposition events that have altered the archaeological and paleontological record at Ballinu Springs. In providing a new classification of the true ‘Murchison Cement/s’, this study forms the foundation for a much larger research project that addresses the contemporaneity of megafauna and man in the Mid West.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in bone collagen can provide valuable information about the diet and habitat of mammal species. However, bone collagen degrades in normal circumstances very rapidly, and isotope analyses are therefore usually restricted to fossil material with a Late Pleistocene or Holocene age. The Middle Pleistocene site of Schöningen, dated to around 300,000 years ago, yielded bones and teeth with an exceptionally good state of collagen preservation. This allowed us to measure reliable biogenic carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios for different herbivorous taxa from the families Elephantidae, Rhinocerotidae, Equidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae. The results provide insights regarding the palaeoenvironmental setting in which Middle Pleistocene hominins operated. The vegetation consumed by the herbivores from the famous spear horizon originates from open environments. During the climatic Reinsdorf Interglacial optimum, the landscape seems to have been relatively open as well, but certainly included parts that were forested. The results also indicate some niche partitioning; different herbivore species used different plant resources. For instance, the horses seem to have been predominantly browsers, while the straight-tusked elephants were feeding chiefly on grass.

ABSTRACT The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was an emblematic and key species of the so-called mammoth steppe ecosystem between ca. 110,000 and 12,000 years ago. Its contribution to human subsistence during the Gravettian period as source of raw material was documented in southwestern France and southwestern Germany, with some evidence of active hunting in the latter region. However, decreasing genetic diversity and increasing indications of nutritional stress point to a likely decline of this megaherbivore. The specificity of the ecological niche occupied by the woolly mammoth is clearly reflected by their collagen 13C and 15N abundances (δ13Ccoll and δ15Ncoll), measured on skeletal remains of the typical mammoth steppe. The abundances of carbon-13 in mammoth collagen are comparable to those of other grazers like horse (Equus sp.), while the nitrogen-15 abundances are significantly higher (about 3‰) than in the other herbivores, either horse or reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). During the Aurignacian and Gravettian occupation at Geißenklösterle in the Ach Valley (Germany), the mammoths had the expected stable isotope signature, but the nitrogen-15 of horses showed an unexpected overlap with those of the mammoth. This unusual pattern was already occurring during the Aurignacian, while the oxygen-18 abundances in bone phosphate (δ18Obp) of horse and reindeer were unchanged between Aurignacian and Gravettian periods, which rules out significant change in environmental and climatic conditions. Thus, we hypothesize that during the Aurignacian and Gravettian, the ecological niche of mammoth was intact but not occupied intensively by mammoths due to a decline in their population. This decline could be tentatively explained by human pressure through hunting. In Dordogne (France), decreasing horse and reindeer δ15Ncoll values coeval to decreasing horse δ18Obp values between the Aurignacian and the Early Gravettian periods reflected a clear change in the environment, while no contrast in δ15Ncoll values was observed between the Early and Final Gravettian at the Abri Pataud. The mammoth of Dordogne yielded slightly higher δ15Ncoll values than expected, probably as a consequence of the nursing effect since all the analyzed samples were ivory instead of bone. The direct dating and sulphur-34 measurement on the ivory of the Early Gravettian at Pataud showed that almost all of them were of contemporaneous and local origin. Significant contrasts in δ34Scoll values were found between the Dordogne and the Ach Valley for the same herbivores species, which confirms the potential of sulphur-34 in collagen as a mobility tracker.

The world's large terrestrial mammalian carnivores and herbivores (henceforth, megafauna) has been severely impacted by humans worldwide. Although this impact across the globe is variable, there has been little information quantifying this impact on biodiversity. Here, we use a macroecological modeling approach to evaluate the impact of different human activities on megafauna species richness at global and biogeographical scales with respect to seven human-altered landscapes variables. At both global and biogeographical scales, we found that human accessibility, human footprint, and small livestock density, had the most negative effects on megafauna species richness, whereas large livestock density, wilderness, and natural protected areas, were more positively associated with megafauna species richness. Our results indicate that megafauna can indeed persist in human-modified landscapes, but different types of human activity can differentially influence species richness. Thus, although continued human impact such as urban, livestock and agricultural development continues to represent a threat to most megafauna, their future viability is potentially compatible with several global change factors we examined. Moreover, our findings are still consistent with the emphasis on conservation strategies that focus on habitat protection to maximize the conservation of megafaunal richness. We urge stronger national and international policy commitments inclusive of multi-use landscapes, greater anti-poaching enforcement, and the development of wildlife-friendly policy incentives for the managers of private and communal land. We also advise caution in interpreting our results, and believe local and regional scale population monitoring programs are still necessary to better facilitate coexistence with humans.

Eighteen large snake vertebrae from a single locality within the Camfield Beds (middle Miocene) at Bullock Creek, Northern Territory, Australia, represent a single individual of Yurlunggur camfieldensis new genus and species. The family Madtsoiidae is correctly referred to the Alethinophidia, but distinguished from all other Alethinophidian taxa by combinations of vertebral and cranial characters most fully represented in Wonambi naracoortensis.

To determine accurately the rates of late Pleistocene megafaunal loss, it is fundamentally important to have accurate taxonomic information for every species. In Australia, accurate taxonomic information is lacking for several Pleistocene groups, including the largest marsupial ever to live, Diprotodon Owen, 1838. Diprotodon taxonomy has been complicated by early nomenclatural problems and by the occurrence of two distinct size classes of individuals that do not reflect an ontogenetic series. Traditionally, the two size classes have been regarded as separate species. However, a taxonomic investigation of large samples (> 1000 teeth) of Diprotodon material from several different fossil localities in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria suggests that there is little evidence for the discrimination of more than one morphospecies. Thus, Diprotodon is here considered a monotypic genus and the single morphospecies, D. optatum Owen, 1838 is considered to have been highly sexually dimorphic. By drawing analogy with extant sexually dimorphic megaherbivores and marsupials, the large form was probably male, and the small form was probably female. Diprotodon optatum probably moved in small, gender-segregated herds, and exhibited a polygynous breeding strategy. As a single morphospecies, D. optatum had a near-continental geographical distribution, similar to that of extant megaherbivores, possibly indicating its niche as a habitat generalist

The South American Pleistocene mammal fauna includes great-sized animals that have intrigued scientists for over two centuries. Here we intend to update the knowledge on its palaeoecology and provide new evidence regarding two approaches: energetics and population density and relative abundance of fossils per taxa. To determine whether an imbalance exists, population density models were applied to several South American fossil faunas and the results compared to those that best describe the palaeoecology of African faunas. The results on the abundance study for Uruguay and the province of Buenos Aires during the Lujanian stage/age reveal that bulk-feeding ground sloths (Lestodon and Glossotherium) were more represented in the first territory, while the more selective Scelidotherium and Megatherium were more abundant in the second. Although the obtained values were corrected to avoid size-related taphonomic biases, linear regressions of abundance vs. body mass plots did not fit the ex...

The elimination of the largest herbivores (elephants and rhinoceroses) from many forests in tropical East Asia may have severe consequences for plant species that depend on them for seed dispersal. We assessed the capacity of Malayan tapirs Tapirus indicus—the next largest nonruminant herbivore in the region—as a substitute for the lost megafauna in this role by studying their ability to disperse the seeds of nine fleshy-fruited plants with seeds 5–97 mm in length. We combined information from feeding trials, germination tests, and field telemetry to assess the effect of tapir consumption on seed viability and to estimate how far the seeds would be dispersed. The tapirs (N = 8) ingested few seeds. Seed survival through gut passage was moderately high for small-seeded plants (e.g., 36.9% for Dillenia indica) but very low for medium- (e.g., 7.6% for Tamarindus indica) and large-seeded (e.g., 2.8% for Artocarpus integer) plants. Mean seed gut passage times were long (63–236 h) and only the smallest seeds germinated afterwards. Using movement data from four wild tapirs in Peninsular Malaysia we estimated mean dispersal distances of 917–1287 m (range = 22–3289 m) for small-seeded plants. Malayan tapirs effectively dispersed small-seeded plants but acted as seed predators for the large-seeded plants included in our study, suggesting that they cannot replace larger her- bivores in seed dispersal. With the absence of elephants and rhinos many megafaunal-syndrome plants in tropical East Asia are expected to face severe dispersal limitation problems.

El sitio Pilauco está ubicado en la ciudad de Osorno (40º34’12’’S, 73º06’13’’W). En el Pleistoceno tardío estuvo dominado por una asociación vegetacional de parque norpatagónico, tal como Monte Verde. Se han recuperado 718 huesos de vertebrados extintos y extantes, 30 dientes y 11 coprolitos. Tafonómicamente se registran procesos de carroñeo, pisoteo y reacomodación por crecidas fluviales esporádicas.
El sitio comenzó a formarse hace 13.470±35 años 14C A.P. Posteriormente se desarrolla un pantano sobre “ox-bow lake”. La turba PB-7 contiene los restos paleontológicos y arqueológicos (13.220±60 - 11.004±186 años 14C AP). Las
familias de vertebrados representadas son: Gomphotheriidae, Equidae, Camelidae, Cervidae, Mylodontidae, Mephitidae, Muridae y Myocastoridae. Los artefactos líticos de basalto, andesita y obsidiana que registran los humanos tempranos se encuentran solamente en algunas unidades de excavación, asociadas a altas concentraciones de huesos. Se presentan la estratigrafía, sedimentología, paleontología, arqueología y tafonomía del sitio, basado en un gran conjunto de fechas radiocarbónicas.

Mario Pino, Ximena Navarro-Harris, Rafael Labarca, Martín Chavez-Hoffmeister, Omar Recabarren, Patricia Canales y Ricardo De Pol (2012): El sitio Pilauco, Pleistoceno tardío, Osorno, Chile. XIII Congreso Geológico Chileno, Antofagasta, Chile, 05-09, pp. 728-730.

NEW DATA ON SYSTEMATICAL POSITION OF THE GIANT DEER MEGALOCEROS GIGANTEUS (BLUMENBACH, 1799) FROM THE LATE PLEISTOCENE OF MOLDOVA. The aim of present article is to clarify the chronological frame, the systematical position and the paleo-ecological features of the giant deer Megaloceros giganteus from the Republic of Moldova. The comparative study of the dental remains of giant deer from Paleolithic sites of Moldova and the well-preserved sample of giant deer from the Rhine River Basin (Germany) and quite complete antlered skull and a series of mandibles from Rateș (România) demonstrated that the Moldavian giant deer most probably is represented by the subspecies Megaloceros giganteus ruffii. Rezumat: Articolul prezent are drept scop de a clarifica cadrul cronologic, poziția sistematică și particularitățile paleoecologice ale cerbului lopătar uriaș Megaloceros giganteus din Republica Moldova. Studiul comparativ al pieselor dentare de la stațiunile paleolitice din Republica Moldova reprezentate de cranii și mandibule de cerb uriaș din Ger-mania (Valea Rinului) și România (Rateș) a demonstrat că materialele de megacerine moldovenești pot fi atribuite la subspecia Megaloceros giganteus ruffii. Cuvinte-cheie. morfologie sistematică, cerb lopătar uriaș, Megaloceros giganteus, Paleolitic superior, Europa de Sud-Est.