Description of fossil muskoxen and relative abundance of Pleistocene megafauna in central Alberta

Abstract

Significant work has gone into describing Ice Age faunas from Alberta, but relatively little work has been dedicated to understanding the actual structure of Quaternary faunal assemblages in the province. Development of such a data set is necessary to fully understand differences in faunal assemblages that existed before and after the last glacial maximum, and may eventually provide an important historical perspective for understanding the impact of large-scale ecosystem disturbance. Muskoxen fossils from central Alberta were examined to differentiate specimens of Bootherium and Ovibos . Those remains, along with other fossils of Pleistocene megafauna collected from gravel deposits near Edmonton, were used to examine patterns of relative abundance from both pre- and postglacial maximum time periods. Relative abundance for genera of Pleistocene megafauna was calculated using the number of individual specimens (NISP) from 11 individual localities (i.e., gravel pits) in central Alberta. Preglacial localities with statistically significant numbers of specimens (n ≥ 30) are dominated by horse ( Equus ). Mammoth ( Mammuthus ) and bison ( Bison ) are common, but other megafauna, such as Jefferson’s Ground Sloth ( Megalonyx jeffersoni ) and Yesterday’s Camel ( Camelops hesternus ), are comparatively rare. Current data for the postglacial fauna indicate a shift in which Bison becomes the most abundant large herbivore on the landscape, a pattern observed in other parts of North America.

Bison phylogeography constrains dispersal and viability of the Ice Free Corridor in western Canada

“…1 and Table 1). These corridor bison were part of a diverse megafaunal community that included American lion (Panthera leo atrox), horse, western camel (Camelops hesternus), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), tundra muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus), helmeted musk oxen (Bootherium bombifrons), and mammoth (1,31), further supporting the notion that the area was productive habitat at the end of the Pleistocene. Based on present understanding of the biogeography of many of these mammal taxa, there is a general hypothesis that, apart from the clade 2a bison, most of the taxa that recolonized the corridor region came from the south, including horses, lions, camels, and muskoxen (10).…”

Camel fossils from gravel pits near Edmonton and Vauxhall, and a review of the Quaternary camelid record of Alberta

“…The geologic and broad chronologic setting for Quaternary fossil remains from the Edmonton area have been previously discussed (e.g., Burns and Young 1994;Jass et al 2011).…”

“…As a result, the stratigraphic context is only coarsely understood for most specimens. Radiocarbon analyses have shown that several individual localities contain remains of disparate age, including specimens that date prior to the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) and specimens that date after the LGM (Burns and Young 1994;Jass et al 2011). Despite challenges in understanding the geologic context of fossils, they have proven useful for addressing broad chronological and biological questions (e.g., Burns 2010;Young et al 1994;Jass et al 2011).…”

“…Quaternary vertebrate remains recovered from gravel pit localities are the major source of information concerning Pleistocene megafauna in Alberta (e.g., Churcher 1968;Wilson and Churcher 1978;Churcher and Wilson 1979;Wilson 1983;Burns and Young 1994;Jass et al 2011). Camelids (family Camelidae) are mentioned as part of the fauna from many of those deposits, but a majority are undescribed in the literature, the notable exception being fossils from the Gallelli Pit locality (Wilson and Churcher 1978).…”

“…Previously published records of camelids from Alberta include specimens from the early post-Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) found in an archaeological context at Wally's Beach (Kooyman et al 2012;Waters et al 2015), with palaeontological records of comparable age from the Bighill Creek Formation along the Bow River in south-central Alberta (Wilson and Churcher 1978;Wilson 1983) and from deposits along the Peace River (Churcher and Wilson 1979). Records from pre-and post-LGM gravel pit localities in the Edmonton area and Vauxhall are mentioned as part of broader faunal assemblages in the literature (Burns 2010;Burns and Young 1994;Jass et al 2011), but the camelid remains are not described beyond an indication of their presence. Potentially older and/or comparably aged camelids are known from the Medicine Hat-Wellsch Valley sequence of Alberta and Saskatchewan (Stalker et al 1982).…”