109 Working Up an Apatite: Teeth as Paleo -Ecological and -Climatological Archives (Posters)

Teeth are used as archives of paleo -ecological, -climatological, and -biological information. This session welcomes presentations using teeth as archives or testing new methods; from morphology, microwear, and histology to geochemical tools.

Monday, 20 October 2025
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, Hall 1

Dental Microwear Texture Analysis of Extinct Pleistocene Caprin From South Africa Challenges Dietary Inferences and Paleoenvironmental Assumptions

Paper number: 109-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

The Cape Floristic Region of South Africa is a globally significant hotspot of endemic flora, dominated by fine-leaved shrubby vegetation. While grazers are rare today, Late Pleistocene fossil evidence from the region shows a high abundance and diversity of large grazing herbivores, suggesting increased grass availability. One large herbivore, an unnamed extinct caprin antelope, is particularly abundant during the Late Pleistocene in the Cape Fold Mountains. Due to its hypsodont teeth and shortened premolar row, it was long assumed to be a grazer, which has influenced paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the region. To investigate the ecology of this extinct herbivore, we applied Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA) to Late Pleistocene specimens from Boomplaas Cave. DMTA utilizes the microscopic pits and scratches on teeth to infer dietary strategies (e.g., grazing, browsing, mixed-feeding). Compared to modern African Bovidae, the extinct caprin has high complexity (Asfc) values, suggesting a mixed feeding to browsing diet. We also observe high variability in DMTA values between individuals. Because dental microwear signals overprint approximately every two weeks, we can leverage it to assess seasonal dietary variation. We find that the degree of variation within the caprin sample exceeds that of present-day grazers and instead resembles that of mixed-feeders like springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) that switch their diets seasonally. Our results suggest that the extinct caprin consumed more dicots than previously inferred and likely switched diets seasonally. The reconstructed diet complements emerging evidence questioning the extent to which grasses were more widespread during the Late Pleistocene in the region. 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-412115

© Copyright 2025 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.