Paradise lost: Evidence for a devastating metabolic bone disease in an insular Pleistocene deer

Lyras, George; Giannakopoulou, Aggeliki; Lillis, Theodoros; Geer, Alexandra van der

doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.12.003

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Despite the host of information that bone histology is able to provide for archaeological and palaeontological vertebrates, it is still not widely addressed in these fields. On the one hand, histo-taphonomical works have traditionally focused on archaeological material (e.g., Jans, 2005), and only a few studies thoroughly reported microscopic alterations in the bone tissue of palaeontological samples (Davis, 1997; Trueman and Martill, 2002; Chinsamy-Turan, 2005; Chinsamy-Turan and Ray, 2012; Turner-Walker, 2012; van der Sluis et al, 2014; Tomassini et al, 2015; Lyras et al, 2019; Mayer et al, 2020). Conversely, histological studies on palaeontological bones have generally aimed at inferring life history information of extinct species (Chinsamy-Turan, 2005; Kolb et al, 2015b), an approach less investigated within archaeological material.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These inferences of extinct taxa rely on our understanding of the histology of extant species (e.g., Köhler et al, 2012), which has shown that key life history traits like birth, growth rate, age at maturity, and age at death are recorded in the bone microstructure (Amprino, 1947; Chinsamy et al, 1995; de Margerie et al, 2002; Castanet et al, 2004; Chinsamy and Valenzuela, 2008; Erismis and Chinsamy, 2010; Marín-Moratalla et al, 2013; Kolb et al, 2015b; Jordana et al, 2016; Nacarino-Meneses et al, 2016a; Montoya-Sanhueza and Chinsamy, 2017; Nacarino-Meneses and Köhler, 2018). In extinct mammals, palaeohistological investigations have focussed on bones of extinct rodents (Geiger et al, 2013; Kolb et al, 2015b; Orlandi-Oliveras et al, 2016; Garrone et al, 2019; Miszkiewicz et al, 2019, 2020), lagomorphs (Kolb et al, 2015b; Moncunill-Solé et al, 2016), hedgehogs (Kolb et al, 2015b), wombats (Walker et al, 2020), hippos (Kolb et al, 2015b), seals (Woolley et al, 2019), bovids (Köhler and Moyà-Solà, 2009; Marín-Moratalla et al, 2011), cervids (Amson et al, 2015; Kolb et al, 2015a; Lyras et al, 2016, 2019), ursids (Veitschegger et al, 2018), and equids (Sander and Andrássy, 2006; Martínez-Maza et al, 2014; Orlandi-Oliveras et al, 2018; Nacarino-Meneses and Orlandi-Oliveras, 2019; Zedda et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bone histology, palaeobiology, and early diagenetic history of extinct equids from Turkey

et al. 2020

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Bone histology has proved to be a valuable tool to obtain information about the palaeobiology and early taphonomic history of fossil vertebrates. However, there are still many extinct taxa for which bone histology studies could be applied to deduce information about their life history and early diagenetic changes. Here, we partially fill this gap by studying bone microstructure and bone micropreservation in the third metapodia of Hipparion and Equus recovered from several Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene localities in Turkey. Our histological analysis reveals that most of the bone cortices under study are composed of a well-vascularized fibrolamellar bone. Furthermore, we record the presence of compact coarse cancellous bone in a Hipparion metatarsal. In terms of histological preservation, our findings provide supporting evidence that differences in moisture, oxygen, and/or temperature during fossilisation at the different localities impacted the quality of bone preservation. Bacterial bioerosion was extensive in the samples, and we also identified a specific tunnelling morphology that we tentatively consider to be damage caused by freshwater algae. The present study provides novel insight into the palaeobiology and early diagenetic history of extinct horses from Turkey and sets the stage for further research in this area.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bone histology, palaeobiology, and early diagenetic history of extinct equids from Turkey

et al. 2020

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“…The few studies on proportional changes in the encephalon volume of insular endemic mammals (including Homo ) report, for example, a reduction in the dwarf Florens hominin Homo floresiensis [ 71 ], in the Balearic bovid M. balearicus [ 72 ], and in the dwarf hippopotamus from Madagascar Hippopotamus madagascariensis [ 73 ] (but cf. [ 74 ]). However, no significant changes were observed in the smallest Cretan deer [ 67 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, no significant changes were observed in the smallest Cretan deer [ 67 ]. Conversely, dwarf straight-tusked elephants show an increase in relative brain volume proportional to their size reduction [ 74 ], reaching a maximum in the smallest Sicilian elephant Palaeoloxodon ex gr. P. falconeri [ 75 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Attempt to Infer Sound Hearing and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications in the Extinct Insular Canid Cynotherium sardous Studiati, 1857 (Sardinia, Italy)

Zedda

Brunetti

Palombo

2022

Animals

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This is the first study on the bony labyrinth of Cynotherium sardous, an intriguing extinct canid that inhabited Sardinia in the late Middle and Late Pleistocene. The morphological features of the cochlea indicate that C. sardous had a lower number of cochlear turns (2.25) than all extant canids. This feature, as well as the reduced length of the spiral canal, the cochlear curvature rate, and the narrow basal membrane, indicates that C. sardous had poor hearing abilities limited to high-frequency sounds with a low limit of 250 Hz and poor echolocalization skills. From the data available, it is not possible to infer whether C. sardous was unable to echolocalize its prey and relied on other senses (e.g., smell and sight) to locate them or whether the acoustic range of C. sardous was specialized for identifying the sounds produced by its most common prey to transmit signals for predator warnings or group communication. All things considered, the results obtained confirm the utility of cochlea morphological studies in reconstructing the hearing abilities of this species and in providing some suggestions about its ethology, but they fall short of providing any new sound evidence regarding the ecological role of C. sardous in the Late Pleistocene Sardinian ecosystem.

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“…2015a,b; Bartosiewicz 2016, 2018; Lyras et al . 2016, 2019; Palombo & Zedda 2016; Olivier et al . 2017; Veitschegger 2017; Orlandi‐Oliveras et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The intriguing giant deer from the Bate cave (Crete): could paleohistological evidence question its taxonomy and nomenclature?

Palombo¹,

Zedda

2021

Integr. Zool.

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The research describes for the first time a possible case of pituitary gigantism in fossil mammals, precisely in deer. The pathology was detected in 2 long bones (tibia and metatarsus) belonging to an individual of an unusual large size found at the Bate cave (Rethymnon, Northern Crete). It formed the basis of Candiacervus major, the largest among the endemic deer species recorded in the Pleistocene‐Early Holocene of Crete. Radiological and histomorphological examinations highlighted a reduction in cortical bone thickness and the presence of wide lacunae inside of the bone tissue. The pathological conditions suggest a pituitary gigantism diagnosis also supported by some morphological evidence, such as the extremely elongated distal part of the metatarsal diaphysis, the proportionally small proximal epiphysis, and some bone gracility. The diagnosis of a case of pituitary gigantism as presumed responsible for the extraordinary elongation of the tibia and the metatarsal bone is intriguing as they are, respectively, the paratype and the holotype of the C. major. The species represents a case of a deviation from the “island rule” in Pleistocene large mammals. The new evidence recommends a taxonomic and nomenclatural revision of this species. The main outcomes of this research are as follows: (i) a case of pituitary gigantism is described for the first time in an extinct mammal; (ii) it is underlined that paleohistology may provide interesting clues for disentangling taxonomic and nomenclatural issues; (iii) one of the very few cases of gigantism in insular mammals is being questioned.

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Paradise lost: Evidence for a devastating metabolic bone disease in an insular Pleistocene deer

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Bone histology, palaeobiology, and early diagenetic history of extinct equids from Turkey

Bone histology, palaeobiology, and early diagenetic history of extinct equids from Turkey

First Attempt to Infer Sound Hearing and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications in the Extinct Insular Canid Cynotherium sardous Studiati, 1857 (Sardinia, Italy)

The intriguing giant deer from the Bate cave (Crete): could paleohistological evidence question its taxonomy and nomenclature?

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