Thalassocnus is a sloth (Mammalia, Tardigrada) adapted to an aquatic lifestyle. It was first described from the Neogene deposits of the Pisco Formation of Peru, from where most of the specimens come. The genus is represented by five species ranging from the late Miocene to the late Pliocene, occupying successive stratigraphic levels. Morpho-functional studies of the cranial and postcranial skeleton of Thalassocnus have demonstrated the progressive adaptation of these sloths to a marine environment, establishing gradual differences from from the geologically oldest to the youngest species of the genus. The first records of Thalassocnus outside the Pisco Formation have been referred to the Neogene Bahía Inglesa Formation, in northern Chile, where older species were recovered. In this paper, we describe materials from two new Pliocene localities in Chile: the Coquimbo and the Horcón formations, in northern and central Chile, respectively. The Coquimbo Formation material was collected from the Lomas del Sauce locality and consists of a partial skeleton of a single individual. Detailed comparisons of the elements with diagnostic features enabled the referral of this specimen to T. carolomartini. The material from the Horcón Formation was collected from the Playa La Luna locality and consists of an isolated phalanx, which is attributed to one of the species of Thalassocnus younger than T. natans. Thus, we present the first record of younger species of Thalassocnus in Chile and the southernmost occurrence of the genus. Key words. Coquimbo Formation. Horcón Formation. Marine assemblage. Tardigrada. Thalassocnus. Xenarthra. Resumen. EL HALLAZGO MÁS MERIDIONAL DEL PEREZOSO MARINO THALASSOCNUS (MAMMALIA, TARDIGRADA) EN DOS NUEVAS LOCALIDADES DEL PLIO-CENO DE CHILE. Thalassocnus es un perezoso (Mammalia, Tardigrada) adaptado al medio acuático que fue descrito por primera vez en depósitos neógenos de la Formación Pisco en Perú, de la cual procede la mayor parte de los especímenes conocidos. El género está representado por cinco especies, que se extienden desde el Mioceno tardío al Plioceno tardío, ocupando niveles estratigráficos sucesivos. Estudios morfo-funcionales del esqueleto craneal y postcraneal de Thalassocnus han permitido constatar la progresiva adaptación de este perezoso al medio acuático, desde las especies geológicamente más antiguas a las más recientes. Los primeros registros de Thalassocnus fuera de la Formación Pisco corresponden a la Formación Bahía Inglesa, del Neógeno del Norte de Chile, y fueron asignados a las especies antiguas. En este trabajo describimos material de Thalassocnus procedente de dos nuevas localidades en depósi-tos pliocenos de las formaciones Coquimbo y Horcón, del Norte y Centro de Chile respectivamente. El material de la Formación Coquimbo proviene de la localidad Lomas del Sauce y pertenece a un único individuo que conserva buena parte del esqueleto postcraneal. La comparación detallada de aquellos elementos óseos con características diagnósticas ha permitido asignarlo a T....
The Bed-I series of Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) is a reference site in human evolution, having yielded the holotypes of Paranthropus boisei and Homo habilis, together with manufactured artefacts and abundant large and micro-fauna. Excavations in Olduvai Gorge have been recently resumed, with new aims and new results. This paper presents the results of the taphonomic analysis carried out on a fossil small-mammal assemblage recovered from FLK NW level 20, a layer overlying Tuff C, dated from 1.84 Ma. The analysis provides good evidence of a category 1 predator, most likely a barn owl, as the predator of the bone assemblage. Trampling and sediment compression might influence postdepositional breakage of the bones. This study is especially relevant since previous taphonomic analyses carried out at levels above and below this sample led to inconclusive results due to a low number of fossils (Fernández-Jalvo et al., 1998). The new sample provides new information to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental context in which early hominins inhabited.
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