Dodo remains from an in situ context from Mare aux Songes, Mauritius

Meijer, Hanneke J. M.; Gill, Arike; Louw, P. G. B. de; Ostende, Lars W. van den Hoek; Hume, Julian P.; Rijsdijk, Kenneth F.

doi:10.1007/s00114-012-0882-8

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Both islands, together with Rodrigues, supported abundant giant tortoises when first visited by Europeans in the 17 th and early 18 th centuries, but thereafter the animals were exploited to extinction (Stoddart and Peake, 1979). The remains of giant tortoises were recovered in the 2006─2008 excavations at Mare aux Songes on Mauritius, described by Rijsdijk et al (2009) and Meijer et al (2012). Tortoise bones have also been recovered from caves on Rodrigues (Burney, 2011) but the species identity and age of these is not known.…”

Section: High Volcanic Islandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys, and its bearing on the biogeography and dispersal of terrestrial biota in the Western Indian Ocean

Braithwaite

2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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The evolution of species of giant tortoises and the nature of processes governing their dispersal in the Western Indian Ocean have been matters of interest for some time. Historical records indicate that these animals were once widely distributed in the region, from Madagascar to the Seychelles in the north and to the Mascarene islands in the south. New data on the status of Aldabrachelys and related or supposed species, and controversies regarding genetic diversity and distribution have prompted an evaluation of the islands and submerged Banks in the region that, during the later Cenozoic, might have provided refuges and/or stepping-stones for the spread of populations in what is now open ocean. Given the apparent stability of the crust in much of the area for at least the Quaternary Period, sea-level, driven by climatic change, and transport by ocean currents, appear to be the principle factors controlling the access not only of populations of giant tortoises but also other terrestrial biota to potential refuge areas in the Region. The distributions of living and fossil tortoise communities are discussed. Four types of terrestrial oceanic refuges for migrants have been identified. At the present day, with the exception of Aldabra, high limestone islands offer only relatively small areas for colonization and all would have been drowned during interglacial sea-level high-stands. Although they have the potential for some increases in land area during the early stages of transitions to low-stand, as sea-level fell significantly they would have become waterless pinnacles, only generally accessible to organisms capable of flight. Volcanic islands have the same general limitations, but may have remained as smaller entities when sea-level was higher than at present, but providing only limited land access and restricted vegetation. Low islands and sand cays, typically of more recent origin, could not have existed during periods of high sea-levels, but many are situated on extensive submerged Banks that would have formed relatively large land areas when sea-level was low. Major Banks, most of which are regarded as fragments of continental crust, are currently submerged but, during glacial periods would together have offered land areas in excess of 130,000 km 2 ,

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Section: High Volcanic Islandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys, and its bearing on the biogeography and dispersal of terrestrial biota in the Western Indian Ocean

Braithwaite

2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…For example, data from the western part of the Indian Ocean indicate that around 4000 years ago the climate turned dryer, presumably as a result of a change in the monsoon domain (Gasse and Van Campo 1994;Marchant and Hooghiemstra 2004); El Niño events occurred more frequently after 5000 years BP (Shulmeister 1999), while between 4200 and 3800 cal years BP the frequency of El Niño events decreased strongly (Wanner et al 2008). Shulmeister and Lees (1995) recorded a marked decline in effective precipitation in Australia in the period considered, and Rijsdijk et al (2009) andMeijer et al (2012) tied the presence of a massive bone bed on Mauritius to this period of drought. Our data are in agreement with the existence of a quite rapid climate change around the Indian Ocean around 4 ka.…”

Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 90%

Middle-sized murids from Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia): insular endemics, human introductions and palaeoenvironment

Locatelli

Due

Jatmiko

et al. 2015

Palaeobio Palaeoenv

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The Liang Bua Cave (Flores, Indonesia) has yielded numerous fossils of murids from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, including giant rats. In this study, we describe the middle-sized forms, that is, murids of about the same size as Rattus rattus. Two endemic species were found at Liang Bua, Komodomys rintjanus and Paulamys naso, which were present since the oldest phases of the occupation of the cave. Both have survived until the present day and currently occupy contrasting habitats. Two commensal species, presumably R. rattus and R. argentiventer, reached the island only in the youngest phases. Based on the ecological preferences of recent Komodomys and Paulamys, it appears that the arrival of Neolithic Man and commensal rats coincides with a period of relative drought.

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“…All previous osteological work was based upon unassociated, composite skeletons, combining bones from many individuals and both sexes. Therefore, precise reconstructions based on associated skeletal elements of the dodo's physique, locomotion, and physiology were not possible (Hume, 2005;Meijer et al, 2012;Hume et al, 2014a;Claessens et al, 2015a). In this memoir (Claessens et al, 2015b), we describe the osteology of two nearly complete, associated skeletons of the dodo that were collected around 1900 by French-born amateur naturalist Louis Etienne Thirioux in caves or, more likely, boulder scree in the valleys surrounding the mountains of central Mauritius (Hume, 2005;Claessens and Hume, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paleoecological research has shown that the vertebrate mass mortality was triggered by a series of extreme climatic drought events that affected a large part of the southwestern Indian Ocean region (De Boer et al, 2014. A unique combination of local geomorphic and hydrotaphonomic factors, coupled with eustatic sea level rise, resulted in excellent preservation of the subfossil material, which provided data for interdisciplinary research on the taphonomy and ecology of the Mare aux Songes bonebed (Hume, 2005;Rijsdijk et al, 2009Rijsdijk et al, , 2011Meijer et al, 2012;Hume et al, 2014a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

Rijsdijk¹,

Hume²,

Louw³

et al. 2015

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus,1758, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the bird's extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodo's anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir.Additional co-authors: Anneke H. Van Heteren, Vikash Rupear, Gorah Beebeejaun, Alan Grihault, J. (Hans) Van Der Plicht, Marijke Besselink, Juliën K. Lubeek, Max Jansen, Hege Hollund, Beth Shapiro, Matthew Collins, Mike Buckley, Ranjith M. Jayasena, Nicolas Porch, Rene Floore, Frans Bunnik, Andrew Biedlingmaier, Jennifer Leavitt, Gregory Monfette, Anna Kimelblatt, Adrienne Randall, Pieter Floore & Leon P. A. M. Claessen

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Dodo remains from an in situ context from Mare aux Songes, Mauritius

Cited by 12 publications

References 21 publications

The giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys, and its bearing on the biogeography and dispersal of terrestrial biota in the Western Indian Ocean

The giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys, and its bearing on the biogeography and dispersal of terrestrial biota in the Western Indian Ocean

Middle-sized murids from Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia): insular endemics, human introductions and palaeoenvironment

A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

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