Estimating the body mass of the Late Pleistocene megafauna from the South America Intertropical Region and a new regression to estimate the body mass of extinct xenarthrans

Dantas, Marcelo

doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103900

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These two ‘subfamilies’ represent giant sloths of gigantic size (Fariña et al, 1998 ). In contrast, the two ‘subfamilies’ with the most extreme sizes, for the smallest, the nothrotheres with a body mass of more than 171 kg (Dantas, 2022 ), and for the largest, the megatheres with an extreme bodymass estimated between three and six tons (Fariña et al, 1998 ), are only marginally present in the Roth collection at PIMUZ, with only one specimen for nothrotheres (~ 1%) and six specimens for megatheres (~ 9%). There were likely 44 valid species of xenarthrans in the Pleistocene of the Pampean Region (see Brambilla & Ibarra, 2018a ; Carlini & Scillato-Yané, 1999 ; Cione et al, 1999 ; Krmpotic et al, 2009 ; Tonni et al, 1999a , b ) (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Verger

2023

Swiss J Palaeontol

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The present work concerns xenarthrans from the collection of Santiago (Kaspar Jakob) Roth (1850–1924) housed at the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich, one of the most important collections of Pleistocene mammals from Argentina in Europe. Roth was a paleontologist originally from Switzerland who prospected and collected a large amount of Pleistocene megafauna of the Pampean Region of Argentina. The xenarthrans are the main representatives of this collection in Zurich, with 150 specimens. Since 1920, this material has not been revised and is under studied. The present investigation corresponds to a taxonomic revision resulting in 114 reassignments, leading to document xenarthran diversity and discuss their paleoecologies. The high diversity reflects the paleoecology of the Pampean Region during the Pleistocene, with the various abiotic events that impacted the paleoenvironment of this region. Within the Cingulata, the Pampean Region fauna was probably dominated by glyptodonts with a high representation of Glyptodontinae and Neosclerocalyptinae while within the sloths the highest diversity and abundance is found in the Mylodontinae and Scelidotheriinae. These four clades represent both species with high ecological tolerance (e.g., Glyptodon munizi; Catonyx tarijensis) and ecologically highly specialized species (e.g., Neosclerocalyptus paskoensis; Scelidotherium leptocephalum). The presence of such ecological diversity underlines the status of the Pampean Region as a major interest for paleoecological and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Verger

2023

Swiss J Palaeontol

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“…Based on the regression presented by Tejada-Lara et al (2018) and using 2014 kg as the mean weight of adult individuals of E. laurillardi (Dantas, 2022), we estimated the isotopic enrichment (ɛ* diet-bioapatite ) of this taxon to be 14‰. Adding the enrichment value of 14‰, δ 13 C values more negative than −13‰ indicate that this taxon lived in a habitat dominated by C 3 plants; in contrast, those higher than +1‰ indicate a habitat dominated by C 4 plants.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eremotherium laurillardi could reach 2360 kg (Dantas, 2022) and its diet is known mainly by data from Brazil through stable carbon isotopes (Oliveira et al, 2020; Asevedo et al, 2021; Lopes et al, 2021; Omena et al, 2021 and references therein), microwear analysis (Oliveira et al, 2020), and relative muzzle width (Dantas and Santos, 2022), but there are additional isotopic data from Mexico (Pérez-Crespo et al, 2015) and Belize (Larmon et al, 2019). All this information allows us to attribute a mixed-feeder diet to this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enrichment and consumption of food resources (δ 13 C)The interpretation of carbon isotopic values for mammals is generally based on the known average for C 3 plants (μδ 13 C = −27 ± 3‰), C 4 plants (μδ 13 C = −13 ± 2‰), and CAM plants (intermediate values between the δ 13 C of C 3 and C 4 plants)(e.g., MacFadden, 2005).Based on the regression presented by Tejada-Lara et al (2018) and using 2014 kg as the mean weight of adult individuals of E. laurillardi(Dantas, 2022), we estimated the isotopic enrichment (ε* diet-bioapatite ) of this taxon to be 14‰. Adding the enrichment value of 14‰, δ 13 C values more negative than −13‰ indicate that this taxon lived in a habitat dominated by C 3 plants; in contrast, those higher than +1‰ indicate a habitat dominated by C 4 plants.…”

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Annual isotopic diet (δ¹³C) ofEremotherium laurillardi(Lund, 1842) and climate variation (δ¹⁸O) through the late Pleistocene in the Brazilian Intertropical Region

et al. 2023

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We inferred the annual isotopic diet (δ13C) of an individual of the giant ground sloth Eremotherium laurillardi found in Toca dos Ossos (Ourolândia, Bahia, Brazil) through the extension of its third inferior molar. This individual lived in the region at 40,779–39,617cal yr BP. One year of its life was recorded in a length of 67 mm in the tooth. Two years were recorded in this molariform, during which the diet and climate did not change much, and substantial precipitation occurred during the middle of the year, which is in opposition to the modern pattern. The mean carbon (μδ13C = −13.9 ± 1.8‰) and oxygen (μδ18O = 22.5 ± 2.9‰) isotopic values were similar to values for other individuals of the species found in the same cave but different from the values found in other localities of the Brazilian Intertropical Region, which allows us to suggest that this region had more precipitation and lower temperatures in comparison to today. The oxygen isotopic values found in dated fossils of E. laurillardi and from two other taxa found in the same cave (Toxodon platensis, and Notiomastodon platensis) could help in the understanding of the climatic variation that occurred in the region.

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“…OSA values were plotted against body mass (kg) of each sloth taxon (Tables 1 and S2; Dantas, 2022). The two variables (OSA and body mass) of each extinct giant sloth examined were log-transformed and compared with the OSA data presented by Vizcaíno et al (2006) and Dantas and Santos (2022).…”

Section: Occlusal Surface Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoecological inferences about the Late Quaternary giant sloths

Dantas,

Campbell,

McDonald

2023

J Mammal Evol

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The Occlusal Surface Area index together with the body mass contribute to better understanding the paleoecology and evolution of the giant sloths in the Americas. The giant sloths from southern South America probably had higher levels of fermentation/lower metabolic requirements, whereas the tropical taxa had higher metabolic requirements. The sloths that dispersed into Central and North America were most likely derived from tropical taxa based on the patterns observed in this study. Relative Muzzle Width and the Hypsodonty indices were used to infer the dietary adaptation of several late Pleistocene/early Holocene giant ground sloths from the Americas. The Nothrotheriidae and Megatheridae taxa were adapted to a browser or mixed-feeder "browser" diet, the Mylodontidae taxa to a variety of dietary types, and the Megalonychidae taxa to a mixed-feeder browser diet. However, these dietary adaptations do not necessarily re ect food niches. In general, Megalonychidae and Nothrotheriidae were climber species, Mylodontidae taxa were digger species, and Megatheriidae taxa were fully terrestrial species.

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Estimating the body mass of the Late Pleistocene megafauna from the South America Intertropical Region and a new regression to estimate the body mass of extinct xenarthrans

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Annual isotopic diet (δ¹³C) ofEremotherium laurillardi(Lund, 1842) and climate variation (δ¹⁸O) through the late Pleistocene in the Brazilian Intertropical Region

Paleoecological inferences about the Late Quaternary giant sloths

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Estimating the body mass of the Late Pleistocene megafauna from the South America Intertropical Region and a new regression to estimate the body mass of extinct xenarthrans

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Xenarthrans of the collection of Santiago Roth from the Pampean Region of Argentina (Pleistocene), in Zurich, Switzerland

Annual isotopic diet (δ13C) ofEremotherium laurillardi(Lund, 1842) and climate variation (δ18O) through the late Pleistocene in the Brazilian Intertropical Region

Paleoecological inferences about the Late Quaternary giant sloths

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Annual isotopic diet (δ¹³C) ofEremotherium laurillardi(Lund, 1842) and climate variation (δ¹⁸O) through the late Pleistocene in the Brazilian Intertropical Region