Faunal complex of the Early Pleistocene Muhkai 2 locality

The Early Pleistocene locality Muhkai 2 was discovered in Central Dagestan, northeastern Caucasus, Russia, in 2006. Archaeological investigations of the site have been directed by Corresponding member of RAS H.A. Amirkhanov (Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow). The article presents the results of the study of osteological material from the excavations of 2006–2017. The cultural layers with stone tools and mammal bones are found within stratum of brownish-grey petrified loams with reversed magnetization. We identified 14 large species of mammals, which are indicators for the dating of the faunal assemblage and crucial in identifying the specific characteristics of the natural environment at the time of site formation. Stenon horse and Etruscan wolf dominate the spectrum of species at Muhkai 2. All large mammal species from the site are inhabitants of open and semi-open landscapes and animals indicative of closed biotopes are absent. The biotope appears to have been a dry savannah-steppe with small areas of forest vegetation. The climate at this time was warm and quite arid. Most likely, the animals died here due to natural causes and their carcasses were buried at the bottom of an ancient, slightly saline and shallow, temporary body of water. Data from the theriofauna place the age of the site Muhkai 2 within the chronological range of 2.1–1.77 Mya.

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Diversity lost: are all Holarctic large mammal species just relict populations?

Journal of Biology ◽

10.1186/jbiol228 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Hofreiter ◽

Ian Barnes

Keyword(s):

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Relict Populations

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Taphonomic analysis of the early Pleistocene (2.4Ma) faunal assemblage from A.L. 894 (Hadar, Ethiopia)

Journal of Human Evolution ◽

10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.01.010 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 315-327 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo ◽

Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro

Keyword(s):

Early Pleistocene ◽

Faunal Assemblage ◽

Taphonomic Analysis

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Large mammal species richness and late Quaternary precipitation change in south-western Australia

Journal of Quaternary Science ◽

10.1002/jqs.2888 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 760-769 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. Tyler Faith ◽

Joe Dortch ◽

Chelsea Jones ◽

James Shulmeister ◽

Kenny J. Travouillon

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Western Australia ◽

Late Quaternary ◽

Precipitation Change ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal

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Large Mammal Remains from the Mladeč Caves and their Contribution to Site Formation Processes

Early Modern Humans at the Moravian Gate ◽

10.1007/978-3-211-49294-9_6 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 99-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Martina Pacher

Keyword(s):

Site Formation ◽

Site Formation Processes ◽

Formation Processes ◽

Large Mammal

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WITHDRAWN: Refitting stone-tools to understand site formation processes: the case of the Gravettian site of Terra do Manuel (Portugal)

Journal of Archaeological Science ◽

10.1016/j.jas.2013.09.005 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Telmo Pereira ◽

Henrique Matias ◽

Francisco Almeida ◽

Nuno Bicho

Keyword(s):

Stone Tools ◽

Site Formation ◽

Site Formation Processes ◽

Formation Processes

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Was FLK North levels 1–2 a classic “living floor” of Oldowan hominins or a taphonomically complex palimpsest dominated by large carnivore feeding behavior?

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2010.06.004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 355-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

H.T. Bunn ◽

A.Z.P. Mabulla ◽

M. Domínguez-Rodrigo ◽

G.M. Ashley ◽

R. Barba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dominant Role ◽

Site Formation ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Abundant Evidence ◽

Dynamic Location ◽

A Minor ◽

Taphonomic Analysis ◽

Analytical Approaches ◽

Working Hypotheses

AbstractFrom excavation at FLK North levels 1–2 in 1960–1962, Mary Leakey reported approximately 1200 Oldowan artifacts and 3300 large mammal fossils as a hominin “living floor”. Preliminary taphonomic analysis by Bunn seemed supportive, based on the presence of some cut-marked bones, the concentration of several dozen bovid individuals, and the relative abundance of limbs and mandibles over other axial elements. Recent taphonomic analysis of Leakey's entire fossil assemblage by Domínguez-Rodrigo and Barba, however, documents a minor hominin role at the site, contrasted to the dominant role of carnivores. Felids brought prey animals; hyenas scavenged from abandoned felid meals. At different times, hominins butchered several bovids and discarded artifacts at this dynamic location. Since 2006, renewed excavations at FLK North and other sites by the Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project (TOPPP) have expanded artifact and fossil samples and implemented new analytical approaches to clarify taphonomic histories of the Olduvai paleolandscape. At FLK North, > 1000 new large mammal fossils from levels 1 to 2 show minimal butchery evidence amid abundant evidence of carnivore gnawing/fracture, rodent gnawing, and sediment abrasion. To help guide future excavation and analyses, we have developed several alternative working hypotheses of site formation.

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The relative importance of large mammal species for tourism in Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Tourism Management ◽

10.1016/j.tourman.2007.08.003 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 751-760 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Moses Makonjio Okello ◽

Stephanie Grace Manka ◽

Danielle E. D’Amour

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Amboseli National Park

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Is group size related to longevity in mammals?

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2010.0348 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 736-739 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Jason M. Kamilar ◽

Richard G. Bribiescas ◽

Brenda J. Bradley

Keyword(s):

Group Size ◽

Life History Theory ◽

Large Species ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Significant Group ◽

Maximum Longevity ◽

Extrinsic Mortality ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Risk Of Predation ◽

Extrinsic Risk

Life-history theory predicts that reduced extrinsic risk of mortality should increase species longevity over evolutionary time. Increasing group size should reduce an individual's risk of predation, and consequently reduce its extrinsic risk of mortality. Therefore, we should expect a relationship between group size and maximum longevity across species, while controlling for well-known correlates of longevity. We tested this hypothesis using a dataset of 253 mammal species and phylogenetic comparative methods. We found that group size was a poor predictor of maximum longevity across all mammals, as well as within primates and rodents. We found a weak but significant group-size effect on artiodactyl longevity, but in a negative direction. Body mass was consistently the best predictor of maximum longevity, which may be owing to lower predation risk and/or lower basal metabolic rates for large species. Artiodactyls living in large groups may exhibit higher rates of extrinsic mortality because of being more conspicuous to predators in open habitats, resulting in shorter lifespans.

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