Taphonomy of ground squirrel remains in a Late Pleistocene ichnofabric, Nebraska, USA

Differentiating sibling species in the Quaternary fossil record: a comparison of morphological and molecular methods to identifyMicrotus arvalisandM. rossiaemeridionalis(Arvicolinae, Rodenia)

“…It is often claimed that a multivariate morphological approach is applicable to the differentiation of closely related species of micromammals in the fossil record (Chaline et al 1989;Smirnov et al 1997;Leroy et al 2004;Polly & Head 2004;Tobin 2004;Wallace 2006;McGuire 2009). However, the taxonomic inferences from multivariate morphological analyses of fossil data have never been tested using any independent technique for taxonomic identification.…”

Vertebrate burrows in late pleistocene paleosols at Korean Palaeolithic sites and their significance as a stratigraphic marker

“…The age, architecture, and size of these burrows in Korea are remarkably similar to those of the Citellus zone in Nebraska (ca. 22,000 to 40,000 yr), which is defined as a regionally extensive biohorizon with abundant burrows and remains of ground squirrels and other rodents (Tobin, 2004a(Tobin, , 2004b. Although further study is needed to clarify the affinities of these burrows, the synchronous occurrence and architectural resemblance of burrows in both regions (NE Asia and N. America) may suggest a similar burrower as well as similarities in paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions during this cold period.…”

“…Pre-Cenozoic vertebrate burrows have been reported from South Africa (Smith, 1987;Groenewald et al, 2001) and Antarctica (Miller et al, 2001). The best-known ichnofossil vertebrate burrows are Daimonelix, which are interpreted to have been produced by the Miocene beaver Paleocaster (Voorhies, 1975;Martin and Bennett, 1977), and the Citellus zone produced by late Pleistocene ground squirrels and other rodents (Tobin, 2004a(Tobin, , 2004b.…”

“…Although burrower remains have not been found, based on burrow size and architecture the burrows are interpreted as having been constructed by rodent-like mammals (Lim et al, 2004). Most studies on penetrative burrows in continental deposits have focused on ichnology and their paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic implications (e.g., Miller et al, 2001;Tobin, 2004aTobin, , 2004bHasiotis et al, 2004). In this study we primarily focus on the dating of the burrows and their chronostratigraphic implications.…”