Quaternary

5 pages, 552 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

A Brief Note on the Presence of the Common Hamster during the Late Glacial Period in Southwestern France

by Aurélien Royer, Anthony Sécher and Mathieu Langlais

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010008 - 7 Jun 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3819

The Late Glacial period is characterized by slow warming, punctuated by short, cold episodes, such as the Younger Dryas (i.e., GS1). The impact of this climatic event on the mammal community is still poorly documented in southwestern France. Here, a new radiocarbon date [...] Read more.

The Late Glacial period is characterized by slow warming, punctuated by short, cold episodes, such as the Younger Dryas (i.e., GS1). The impact of this climatic event on the mammal community is still poorly documented in southwestern France. Here, a new radiocarbon date obtained directly on fossil remains of common hamster, Cricetus cricetus, confirms its presence in southwestern France during the Younger Dryas (GS1). This observation currently suggests that C. cricetus could be an accurate chronological indicator of this event in southwestern France. In this particular case, it also demonstrates an attritional death, polluting the deposit, these remains having been found in the Combe-Cullier layer, attributed to an earlier period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quaternary Studies: The Contribution of Mammalian Fossil Record)

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14 pages, 4290 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Deciduous Tusks and Small Permanent Tusks of the Woolly Mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799) Found on Beaches in The Netherlands

by Dick Mol, André Bijkerk and Joanne P. Ballard

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010007 - 28 May 2018

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5993

Abstract

Tusks of very young mammoths and other proboscideans are extremely rare in the fossil record. This article presents all deciduous tusks and newly-developing permanent tusks of woolly mammoths which are known from Dutch localities and the North Sea. Four deciduous tusks are from [...] Read more.

Tusks of very young mammoths and other proboscideans are extremely rare in the fossil record. This article presents all deciduous tusks and newly-developing permanent tusks of woolly mammoths which are known from Dutch localities and the North Sea. Four deciduous tusks are from The Netherlands and one is from Germany. Five specimens of newly-developing permanent tusks are also discussed. In this article, we present several characteristics and details of those tusks such as presence/absence of roots, and cementum and enamel layers that should facilitate an identification when new findings are made. We also describe a dental element, a digitelle, that is easily mistaken for a tusk of a juvenile woolly mammoth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quaternary Studies: The Contribution of Mammalian Fossil Record)

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38 pages, 7945 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Material and Revision of the Carnivora, Mammalia from the Lower Pleistocene Locality Apollonia 1, Greece

by George D. Koufos

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010006 - 17 May 2018

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 5882

Abstract

During the last field campaigns in the mammal fossiliferous site Apollonia 1 (Macedonia, Greece), new carnivoran material has been discovered. The new collection added two new carnivoran taxa, Homotherium latidens and Panthera gombaszögensis. The new canid material and the revision of the [...] Read more.

During the last field campaigns in the mammal fossiliferous site Apollonia 1 (Macedonia, Greece), new carnivoran material has been discovered. The new collection added two new carnivoran taxa, Homotherium latidens and Panthera gombaszögensis. The new canid material and the revision of the old one (a) suggest the presence of two Canis species, C. etruscus and C. apolloniensis; (b) confirm the presence of the hypercarnivore Lycaon lycaonoides, and (c) allow for re-classifying the vulpine material to Vulpes praeglacialis. The taxonomic status of the species C. apolloniensis and Meles dimitrius is discussed. The composition and diversity of the Apollonia carnivoran assemblage are estimated and compared to those of various Greek and European Villafranchian ones. The results suggest close similarity to the Venta Micena (Spain) and Dmanisi (Georgia) carnivoran assemblages. The biochronological evidence indicates that Apollonia 1 is younger than Venta Micena and older than Untermassfeld (Germany), suggesting an age of 1.3–1.0 Ma. The study of the carnivoran guild structure of Apollonia 1 in comparison to the modern ones from known environments, as well as their functional morphology, suggest an open habitat, agreeing with previous interpretations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quaternary Studies: The Contribution of Mammalian Fossil Record)

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3 pages, 185 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Palaeoinsights—Editorial Tips

by Valentí Rull

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010005 - 22 Mar 2018

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3057

Abstract

Quaternary promotes a special type of papers called ‘Palaeoinsights’, which are essay and opinion papers addressing author’s personal views on different Quaternary topics in relation to either the discipline itself, its potential interest for society, or both [...]
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(This article belongs to the Collection Palaeoinsights)

18 pages, 18395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Late Pleistocene Deer in the Region of the National Park “Serra da Capivara” (Piauí, Brazil)

by Andrea M. F. Valli

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010004 - 14 Mar 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5803

Abstract

The analysis of the cervid fossil remains from the late Pleistocene fossiliferous deposit Lagoa dos Porcos (in the region of the National Park “Serra da Capivara”, Piauí, Brazil) proves the presence of at least two species: a small deer, belonging to the genus [...] Read more.

The analysis of the cervid fossil remains from the late Pleistocene fossiliferous deposit Lagoa dos Porcos (in the region of the National Park “Serra da Capivara”, Piauí, Brazil) proves the presence of at least two species: a small deer, belonging to the genus Mazama, and a larger one (Morenelaphus sp.). The latter taxon is recognized for the first time not only in this area, but in the whole Piauí State, enlarging the paleogeographic distribution of the genus. This study also points out the difference between the cervid fauna found in the karstic area of Park and Lagoa dos Porcos, which lies in the alluvial plain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quaternary Studies: The Contribution of Mammalian Fossil Record)

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28 pages, 1742 KiB

Open AccessReview

Elephant and Mammoth Hunting during the Paleolithic: A Review of the Relevant Archaeological, Ethnographic and Ethno-Historical Records

by Aviad Agam and Ran Barkai

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010003 - 8 Feb 2018

Cited by 76 | Viewed by 29061

Abstract

Proboscideans and humans have shared habitats across the Old and New Worlds for hundreds of thousands of years. Proboscideans were included in the human diet starting from the Lower Paleolithic period and until the final stages of the Pleistocene. However, the question of [...] Read more.

Proboscideans and humans have shared habitats across the Old and New Worlds for hundreds of thousands of years. Proboscideans were included in the human diet starting from the Lower Paleolithic period and until the final stages of the Pleistocene. However, the question of how prehistoric people acquired proboscideans remains unresolved. Moreover, the effect of proboscidean hunting on the eventual extinction of these mega-herbivores was never seriously evaluated, probably because of the lack of acquaintance with the plethora of information available regarding proboscidean hunting by humans. The aim of this paper is to bridge this gap and bring to light the data available in order to estimate the extent and procedures of elephant and mammoth hunting by humans during the Quaternary. This study examines the archaeological evidence of proboscidean hunting during Paleolithic times, and provides a review of ethnographic and ethno-historical accounts, demonstrating a wide range of traditional elephant-hunting strategies. We also discuss the rituals accompanying elephant hunting among contemporary hunter-gatherers, further stressing the importance of elephants among hunter-gatherers. Based on the gathered data, we suggest that early humans possessed the necessary abilities to actively and regularly hunt proboscideans; and performed this unique and challenging task at will. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quaternary Studies: The Contribution of Mammalian Fossil Record)

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24 pages, 6463 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Holocene Hydroclimate Variability in Central Scandinavia Inferred from Flood Layers in Contourite Drift Deposits in Lake Storsjön

by Inga Labuhn, Dan Hammarlund, Emmanuel Chapron, Markus Czymzik, Jean-Pascal Dumoulin, Andreas Nilsson, Edouard Régnier, Joakim Robygd and Ulrich Von Grafenstein

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010002 - 6 Feb 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5546

Abstract

Despite the societal importance of extreme hydroclimate events, few palaeoenvironmental studies of Scandinavian lake sediments have investigated flood occurrences. Here we present a flood history based on lithological, geochemical and mineral magnetic records of a Holocene sediment sequence collected from contourite drift deposits [...] Read more.

Despite the societal importance of extreme hydroclimate events, few palaeoenvironmental studies of Scandinavian lake sediments have investigated flood occurrences. Here we present a flood history based on lithological, geochemical and mineral magnetic records of a Holocene sediment sequence collected from contourite drift deposits in Lake Storsjön (63.12° N, 14.37° E). After the last deglaciation, the lake began to form around 9800 cal yr BP, but glacial activity persisted in the catchment for ~250 years. Element concentrations and mineral magnetic properties of the sediments indicate relatively stable sedimentation conditions during the Holocene. However, human impact in the form of expanding agriculture is evident from about 1100 cal yr BP, and intensified in the 20th century. Black layers containing iron sulphide appear irregularly throughout the sequence. The increased influx of organic matter during flood events led to decomposition and oxygen consumption, and eventually to anoxic conditions in the interstitial water preserving these layers. Elevated frequencies of black layer occurrence between 3600 and 1800 cal yr BP reflect vegetation changes in the catchment as well as large-scale climatic change. Soil erosion during snowmelt flood events increased with a tree line descent since the onset of the neoglacial period (~4000 cal yr BP). The peak in black layer occurrence coincides with a prominent solar minimum ~2600 cal yr BP, which may have accentuated the observed pattern due to the prevalence of a negative NAO index, a longer snow accumulation period and consequently stronger snowmelt floods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Quaternary)

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221 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Quaternary—A Multidisciplinary Integrative Journal to Cope with a Complex World

by Valentí Rull

Quaternary 2018, 1(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat1010001 - 14 Sep 2017

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5887

Abstract

We live in a Quaternary world, that is, a world shaped by the interplay of the different compartments of the earth system—lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere—during the last ~2.6 million years [...]
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Quaternary, Volume 1, Issue 1 (June 2018) – 8 articles

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