Abstract:Here, we report the recent discovery of 87 Neandertal footprints on the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Doñana shoreline, Spain) located on an upper Pleistocene aeolian littoral setting (about 106 ± 19 kyr). Morphometric comparisons, high resolution digital photogrammetric 3D models and detailed sedimentary analysis have been provided to characterized the footprints and the palaeoenvironment. The footprints were impressed in the shoreline of a hypersaline swamped area related to benthic microbial mats, clo… Show more
“…8 ). Meanwhile, Mayoral et al 18 claimed to have found 87 hominin tracks, most of them constituting what they called the Hominin Trampled Surface (HTS) . However, it is evident from their Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, ever present intertidal erosion upon poorly cemented fine- and clayey sandstones clearly affects the tracks and rhizoliths when exposed from the beach sand cover, blurring morphological features after few tides and deepening the trace fossils. This is clearly evident by the many undetermined weathered structures and potholes described as hominin footprints 18 . Figure 1 ( a ) Geographic setting of the study area and its location at the Iberian Peninsula.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 98%
“…Neto de Carvalho et al 15 , 16 pointed out that this trampled surface developed within the paleosol 17 , records an exceptional single event where tracks and trackways of different vertebrates ascribed to Artiodactyla ( Bos primigenius ?, Cervus elaphus and Sus scrofa ), Elephantidae ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus ), Canidae ( Canis lupus ) and waterbirds (Anserinae and Charadrii) were preserved. Most recently, Mayoral et al 18 described Neanderthal footprints, some of them clearly located in the MTS. The MTS ichnoassociation is characterized by the ichnogenera Cervipeda Vialov/ Bifipides Demathieu et al and Suidichnus galani Neto de Carvalho et al as artiodactyl traces, the ichnogenus Probiscipeda for P. antiquus traces, the ichnogenus Hominipes for Neanderthal footprints, the ichnogenus Canipeda Panin and Avram for wolf traces and, the bird traces could belong to the ichnogenus Presbyorniformipes Yang et al, in addition to other tetradactyl ichnogenera still not studied in detail 14 , 16 .…”
Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves.
“…8 ). Meanwhile, Mayoral et al 18 claimed to have found 87 hominin tracks, most of them constituting what they called the Hominin Trampled Surface (HTS) . However, it is evident from their Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, ever present intertidal erosion upon poorly cemented fine- and clayey sandstones clearly affects the tracks and rhizoliths when exposed from the beach sand cover, blurring morphological features after few tides and deepening the trace fossils. This is clearly evident by the many undetermined weathered structures and potholes described as hominin footprints 18 . Figure 1 ( a ) Geographic setting of the study area and its location at the Iberian Peninsula.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 98%
“…Neto de Carvalho et al 15 , 16 pointed out that this trampled surface developed within the paleosol 17 , records an exceptional single event where tracks and trackways of different vertebrates ascribed to Artiodactyla ( Bos primigenius ?, Cervus elaphus and Sus scrofa ), Elephantidae ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus ), Canidae ( Canis lupus ) and waterbirds (Anserinae and Charadrii) were preserved. Most recently, Mayoral et al 18 described Neanderthal footprints, some of them clearly located in the MTS. The MTS ichnoassociation is characterized by the ichnogenera Cervipeda Vialov/ Bifipides Demathieu et al and Suidichnus galani Neto de Carvalho et al as artiodactyl traces, the ichnogenus Probiscipeda for P. antiquus traces, the ichnogenus Hominipes for Neanderthal footprints, the ichnogenus Canipeda Panin and Avram for wolf traces and, the bird traces could belong to the ichnogenus Presbyorniformipes Yang et al, in addition to other tetradactyl ichnogenera still not studied in detail 14 , 16 .…”
Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves.
“…The idea that the same individual could have generated both tracks can be ruled out due to the mean values for length and width, which show the footprints of the La Torre 6A trackway to be bigger than those of the La Torre 6B trackway. Actualist investigations into hominid tracks have suggested an intraindividual dispersion of 12.8% in size along the same trackway 34 , 35 . In dinosaurs, differences of more than 20% in the lengths of footprints along the same trackway are also reported 36 .…”
Theropod behaviour and biodynamics are intriguing questions that paleontology has been trying to resolve for a long time. The lack of extant groups with similar bipedalism has made it hard to answer some of the questions on the matter, yet theoretical biomechanical models have shed some light on the question of how fast theropods could run and what kind of movement they showed. The study of dinosaur tracks can help answer some of these questions due to the very nature of tracks as a product of the interaction of these animals with the environment. Two trackways belonging to fast-running theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Enciso Group of Igea (La Rioja) are presented here and compared with other fast-running theropod trackways published to date. The Lower Cretaceous Iberian fossil record and some features present in these footprints and trackways suggest a basal tetanuran, probably a carcharodontosaurid or spinosaurid, as a plausible trackmaker. Speed analysis shows that these trackways, with speed ranges of 6.5–10.3 and 8.8–12.4 ms−1, testify to some of the top speeds ever calculated for theropod tracks, shedding light on the question of dinosaur biodynamics and how these animals moved.
“…However, when such evidence is found, it is typically interpreted as reflecting movement of children alongside parents or caregivers; the autonomy of children, and their distinctive behaviors independent of adults, are less commonly considered. The recent discoveries of over 300 fossilized Neanderthal footprints representing groups made predominantly of children and adolescents suggests that such autonomy and independence may have been characteristic of other young hominins as well (Duveau et al, 2019; Mayoral et al, 2021).…”
Objectives: Though relationships between limb bone structure and mechanical loading have provided fantastic opportunities for understanding the lives of prehistoric adults, the lives of children remain poorly understood. Our aim was to determine whether or not adult tibial skeletal variables retain information about childhood/adolescent loading, through assessing relationships between cortical and trabecular bone variables and the timing of impact loading relative to menarche in premenopausal adult females. Methods: Peripheral quantitative computed tomography was used to quantify geometric and densitometric variables from the proximal tibial diaphysis (66% location) and distal epiphysis (4% location) among 81 nulliparous young adult female controls and athletes aged 19-33 years grouped according to intensity of impact loading both pre-and post-menarche: (1) Low:Low (Controls);(2) High:Low; (3) High:High; (4) Moderate:Moderate; (5) Low:Moderate.ANCOVA was used to compare properties among the groups adjusted for age, stature, and body mass. Results: Significant increases in diaphyseal total cross-sectional area and strength-strain index were documented among groups with any premenarcheal impact loading relative to groups with none, regardless of postmenarcheal loading history (p < .01). In contrast, significantly elevated distal trabecular volumetric bone mineral density was only documented among groups with recent post-menarcheal loading relative to groups with none, regardless of pre-menarcheal impact loading history (p < .01). Conclusions: The consideration of diaphyseal cortical bone geometric and epiphyseal trabecular bone densitometric variables together within the tibia can identify variation in pre-menarcheal and post-menarcheal impact loading histories among premenopausal adult females.
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