T259 Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems: Community Assembly through Time (Posters)

Wednesday, 7 November 2018
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Halls J-K

BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PLEISTOCENE VERTEBRATE COPROLITES

Paper number: T259-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

  • Adrian Hunt Presenting Author
    Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Everett, WA
  • Spencer Lucas
    New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NM

Abstract

Pleistocene vertebrate coprolites are present on all continents except Antarctica, but they are most numerous in the arid southwestern United States. The majority of these coprolites are preserved in caves. There are three distinct biogeographic provinces defined by vertebrate coprolites.

North and South America are characterized by sloth coprolites, although the most abundant bromalites are paleomiddens and coprolites of rodents (e.g., neotomalites in North America). Sloth coprolites are present in 20 caves in North America (Rampart Cave, Muav Caves, Aden Crater, Shelter Cave, Upper Sloth Cave, Lower Sloth Cave, Dust Cave, Williams Cave, Bechan Cave, and Cowboy Cave) and South America (Pikimachay Cave, Peñas de las Trampas 1.1, Cueva Cacao, Cerro Casa de Piedra 7, Gruta del Indio, Cuchillo Cura, Cueva de Milodon, Lapa Vermelha IV and Gruta de Brejoes). The North American sloth coprolites all were produced by the Shasta ground sloth, Nothrotheriops shastensis. The North America coprolite-producing caves also contain many other types of coprolites made by a wide variety of other taxa, including the mammoth Mammuthus sp.; Harrington’s mountain goat, Oreamnos harringtoni; bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis; and shrub ox, Eucatherium collinum.

The hyena coprolite Hyaenacoprus bucklandi characterizes Old World localities in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including caves (e.g., Kirkdale Cave - UK, Rochelot Cave – France, Pikermi – Greece, La Valina Cave – Spain, Equus Cave Taung – South Africa, Ben Tal Cave B – Israel, Zhoukoudian - China) and open air sites (e.g., Westeregein, Bad Wildungen, Neumark-Nord Lake 1 – all in Germany).

Many Pacific islands yield locally abundant and important records of Quaternary bird coprolites, notably in New Zealand. Most New Zealand coprolites are those of moas, including the South Island giant moa, Dinornis robustus; upland moa, Megalapteryx didinus; heavy-footed moa, Pachyornis elephantopus; stoutlegged moa, Euryapteryx gravis; little bush moa Anomalopteryx didiformis; and coastal moa Euryapteryx curtus, but they also represent other birds such as the kakapo Strigops habroptilus. Thus, the three provinces that Pleistocene coprolites identify are New World (sloth dominated), Old World (hyena dominated) and Pacific islands (bird dominated).

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-321436

© Copyright 2018 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.