A review on the Pleistocene occurrences and palaeobiology of Hippopotamus antiquus based on the record from the Barranc de la Boella Section (Francolí Basin, NE Iberia)

An Updated Review of The Quaternary Hippopotamus Fossil Records from the Iberian Peninsula

“…The studied fossil assemblages contain several complete or partial skulls and mandibles (e.g., the Cal Guardiola Lower Unit, La Mina, Bòbila Ordis, the Vallparadís Estació Upper Unit, Incarcal-I, or Condeixa; Figure 3a-i) and partial skeletons (e.g., the Cal Guardiola Lower Unit or Incarcal-I; Figure 3n) including anatomical element such as the hyoid bone (e.g., Incarcal-I), together with specimens belonging to different age classes and sexes (e.g., the Vallparadís Section; Figure 3a-d). In addition to valuable data for the autoecological analysis of the hippopotamus populations, at some sites, we found information on the biotic (plant and faunal) and abiotic context in which these populations lived (e.g., Barranc de la Boella [10]). In some of the localities, direct interaction of other organisms with hippopotamuses was detected, such as marks on the bones of exploitation by carnivores (e.g., Barranco León [20] or the Vallparadís Section [21]; Figure 3m) or cutmarks by humans (Barranco León, Fuente Nueva-3 [20], and Cueva de Bolomor [22]; Figure 3l).…”

“…Although the niche parameters of H. antiquus are still under discussion [10,45,46], the need for permanent bodies of water for its survival [47] and the presence of more or less open areas with grasslands [46] seem a clear requirement. Although these inferences are not very precise, they provide information on the minimum climatic parameters for its arrival in Europe and, specifically, for its dispersal across the Iberian Peninsula.…”

“…Hippopotamus antiquus is a species erected on specimens from the Upper Valdarno (Tuscany, Italy) ( [2] and references therein). The first appearance datum (FAD) of H. antiquus can probably be traced back to the Middle-Late Villafranchian boundary, probably before 2 Ma [2,10]. Its origin is still disputed, although it seems closely related to the large African species Hippopotamus gorgops [11].…”

The Occurrence of Suids in the Post-Olduvai to Pre-Jaramillo Pleistocene of Europe and Implications for Late Villafranchian Biochronology and Faunal Dynamics

“…and Mammuthus meridionalis. The latter species are both documented before, during, and after the "suid gap" [3,12,104], hence not providing robust biochronological constraints. On the other hand, the reference of the Selvella fauna to the Farneta FU has been accepted in several works (e.g., [61,105]).…”

The Middle Pleistocene Hippopotamus from Malagrotta (Latium, Italy): New Data and Future Perspectives

“…Hippopotamus antiquus was a large European hippopotamus which was most likely related or evolved from the African H. gorgops [5][6][7][8]. Hippopotamus antiquus was present in almost all Europe [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The first appearance datum (FAD) of H. antiquus is still highly debated but it was firmly established in the Upper Valdarno area (Tuscany, Italy) around 1.9-1.7 Ma [17].…”