Origins and antiquity of the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) on California's Channel Islands

The island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is one of few reportedly endemic terrestrial mammals on California's Channel Islands. Questions remain about how and when foxes first colonized the islands, with researchers speculating on a natural, human-assisted, or combined dispersal during the late Pleistocene and/or Holocene. A natural dispersal of foxes to the northern Channel Islands has been supported by reports of a few fox bones from late Pleistocene paleontological localities. Direct AMS ¹⁴C dating of these “fossil” fox bones produced dates ranging from ∼ 6400 to 200 cal yr BP, however, postdating human colonization of the islands by several millennia. Although one of these specimens is the earliest securely dated fox from the islands, these new data support the hypothesis that Native Americans introduced foxes to all the Channel Islands in the early to middle Holocene. However, a natural dispersal for the original island colonization cannot be ruled out until further paleontological, archaeological, and genetic studies (especially aDNA [ancient DNA]) are conducted.     

The latest Ursus spelaeus in Italy,a new contribution to the extinction chronology of the cave bear

The skeleton of a young prime adult cave bear, Ursus spelaeus, was found in Chiostraccio Cave (Siena, Tuscany, central Italy), only slightly buried under rock falls. The specimen was dated yielding a conventional age of 24,030 ± 100 ¹⁴C yr BP (29,200–28,550 cal yr BP), which makes it the latest known representative of the species in Italy. The skeleton was accompanied by the remains of wolf (Canis lupus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), aurochs (Bos primigenius), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), bat (Vespertinus murinus), and crow (Corvus monedula). The site seems confirming that the latest Italian U. spelaeus populations shared the risk of intrusion. The association of the cave bear with other animals suggests that the assemblage is an attritional palimpsest of remains of different species not originally associated in life. Cave bears were probably more vegetarian than brown bears and possibly became extinct when plant productivity dropped at the onset of MIS 2. Central and southern Italy may have offered isolated and sheltered refugia for cave bears.     

The status of Dollodon and other basal iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe

Dollodon bampingi was recently named based upon a specimen from the Bernissart Quarry that had previously been referred to Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis. The initial diagnosis of Dollodon did not adequately distinguish it from Mantellisaurus or from other basal iguanodonts, necessitating a reassessment of the material. Firsthand examination of the holotypes of the two taxa and numerous other basal iguanodont specimens, as well as a principal components analysis of basal iguanodont dentaries, did not find any morphological features to justify the distinction of Dollodon from Mantellisaurus. D. bampingi is thus best considered a junior synonym of M. atherfieldensis. Furthermore, the recent referral of the species Iguanodon seelyi to the genus Dollodon is not supported; I. seelyi is indistinguishable from Iguanodon bernissartensis, and is considered a junior synonym of that species. Finally, the recently named taxon Proplanicoxa galtoni, also based upon a specimen formerly attributed to M. atherfieldensis, is considered a nomen dubium and probable junior synonym of M. atherfieldensis. Thus, only two species of large-bodied basal iguanodont should be recognized from the Barremian-Aptian of England and Belgium: M. atherfieldensis and I. bernissartensis.     

The relation of social evolution and dispersal in ungulates during the Pleistocene,with emphasis on the old world deer and the genus Bison

The evolution of Pleistocene mammals is characterized by giantism and in the ungulates by the appearance of huge and often bizarre horns, antlers, ossicones, and tusks. An earlier study of sheep (Ovis) led to a theory explaining these phenomena. This theory, termed the “dispersal theory,” is described briefly and then applied to the evolution of Old World deer (Cervinea, Baird, 1857). It is shown that the zoogeography and physical characteristics of Old World deer follow the predictions of this theory. Attention is drawn to the parallels in zoogeography and convergent evolutionary changes between Old World deer and other ungulates such as New World deer, the goats and sheep and the genus Bison. The application of the “dispersal theory” to the evolution of the genus Bison shows that it is compatible with known facts and that it explains aspects of Bison morphology not usually considered. It also suggested a new and testable hypothesis of the origin of present-day Bison. In general the “dispersal theory” applied to Pleistocene conditions predicts that a specialization of social behavior and social organs leading to giantism, altered body proportions and bizarre hornlike organs occurs during postglacial dispersal into new habitat. It also describes the characteristics of these early, pioneering populations. In so doing it links the disciplines of animal behavior, ecology, animal science, population dynamics, and zoogeography into a functional whole. In particular it shows the relationship between ecology and social behavior. Finally, the “dispersal theory” is shown to be a general theory, applicable to Pleistocene and pre-Pleistocene conditions. In the tropics or pre-Pleistocene conditions social evolution follows ecological specialization, while in the periglacial zones social evolution only reflects the colonization history of the species. It is shown that the “dispersal theory” unites the apparently contradictory views on evolution and zoogeography of Matthews and Darlington. Matthews' views apply largely to Pleistocene conditions and Darlington's to pre-Pleistocene conditions. A preliminary application of the “dispersal theory” to pre-Pleistocene mammals suggests that it predicts correctly.     

Evidence for geographic variation in the diets of late Pleistocene and early Holocene Bison in North America, and differences from the diets of recent Bison

During the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, Bison was widely dispersed across North America and occupied most regions not covered by ice sheets. A dietary study on Bison paleopopulations from Alaska, New Mexico, Florida, and Texas was performed using two methods that relate dental wear patterns to diet, mesowear analysis and microwear analysis. These data were compared to a mixed sample of extant Bison from the North American central plains, extant wood Bison from Alberta (Canada) and a variety of other modern ungulates. Mesowear relates macroscopic molar facet shape to levels of dietary abrasion. The mesowear signature observed on fossil Bison differs significantly from the hyper-abrasive grazing diet of extant Bison. Tooth microwear examines wear on the surface of enamel at a microscopic scale. The microwear signal of fossil samples resembles to modern Bison, but the fossil samples show a greater diversity of features, suggesting that fossil Bison populations regularly consumed food items that are texturally inconsistent with the short-grass diet typical of modern plains Bison. Mesowear and microwear signals of fossil Bison samples most closely resemble a variety of typical mixed feeding ungulates, all with diets that are substantially less abrasive than what is typical for modern plains Bison. Furthermore, statistical tests suggest significant differences between the microwear signatures of the fossil samples, thus revealing geographic variability in Pleistocene Bison diets. This study reveals that fossils are of value in developing an understanding of the dietary breadth and ecological versatility of species that, in recent times, are rare, endangered, and occupy only a small remnant of their former ranges.     

ESR,U-series and paleomagnetic dating of Gigantopithecus fauna from Chuifeng Cave,Guangxi, southern China

Several Gigantopithecus faunas associated with taxonomically undetermined hominoid fossils and/or stone artifacts are known from southern China. These faunas are particularly important for the study of the evolution of humans and other mammals in Asia. However, the geochronology of the Gigantopithecus faunas remains uncertain. In order to solve this problem, a program of geochronological studies of Gigantopithecus faunas in Guangxi Province was recently initiated. Chuifeng Cave is the first studied site, which yielded 92 Gigantopithecus blacki teeth associated with numerous other mammalian fossils. We carried out combined ESR/U-series dating of fossil teeth and sediment paleomagnetic studies. Our ESR results suggest that the lower layers at this cave can be dated to 1.92 ± 0.14 Ma and the upper layers can be dated to older than 1.38 ± 0.17 Ma. Correlation of the recognized magnetozones to the geomagnetic polarity timescale was achieved by combining magnetostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and ESR data. The combined chronologies establish an Olduvai subchron (1.945–1.778 Ma) for the lowermost Chuifeng Cave sediments. We also analyzed the enamel δ¹³C values of the Gigantopithecus faunas. Our results show that southern China was dominated by C₃ plants during the early Pleistocene and that the Gigantopithecus faunas lived in a woodland-forest ecosystem.     

Late Pleistocene Bison antiquus from Orcas Island, Washington, and the biogeographic importance of an early postglacial land mammal dispersal corridor from the mainland to Vancouver Island

A Bison antiquus cranium and partial skeleton from Ayer Pond wetland on Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, Washington, date to 11,760 ± 70 ¹⁴C yr BP. They lay in lacustrine sediments below peat, unconformably above emergent Everson Glaciomarine Drift (> 12,000 ¹⁴C yr BP). Several bison finds in similar contexts on Orcas and Vancouver Islands dating between 11,750 and 10,800 ¹⁴C yr BP indicate an early postglacial land mammal dispersal corridor with reduced water barriers between mainland and islands. New bison dates and published shell dates allow estimation of early postglacial relative sea-level trends for the San Juans, with a drop below modern datum ∼ 12,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, and assist in evaluation of marine reservoir corrections. Emergence by ∼ 60 m is suggested by data from nearby areas. A tundra-like or meadow community and succeeding open pine parkland before 11,000 ¹⁴C yr BP supported bison but horn-core reduction suggests suboptimal forage or restricted habitat. Expanding mixed-conifer forests after 11,000 ¹⁴C yr BP contributed to bison extirpation. Dispersing ungulates such as bison must have influenced island vegetation establishment and early succession. Possible evidence for butchering by early coastal people adds significance to the Ayer Pond discovery, given its pre-Clovis age.     

Chemostratigraphy of the Tamengo Formation (Corumbá Group,Brazil): A contribution to the calibration of the Ediacaran carbon-isotope curve

The Corumbá Group, cropping out in the southern Paraguay Belt in Brazil, is one of the most complete Ediacaran sedimentary archives of palaeogeographic, climatic, biogeochemical and biotic evolution in southwestern Gondwana. The unit hosts a rich fossil record, including acritarchs, vendotaenids (Vendotaenia, Eoholynia), soft-bodied metazoans (Corumbella) and skeletal fossils (Cloudina, Titanotheca). The Tamengo Formation, made up mainly of limestones and marls, provides a rich bio- and chemostratigraphic record. Several outcrops, formerly assigned to the Cuiabá Group, are here included in the Tamengo Formation on the basis of lithological and chemostratigraphical criteria. High-resolution carbon isotopic analyses are reported for the Tamengo Formation, showing (from base to top): (1) a positive δ¹³C excursion to +4‰ PDB above post-glacial negative values, (2) a negative excursion to −3.5‰ associated with a marked regression and subsequent transgression, (3) a positive excursion to +5.5‰, and (4) a plateau characterized by δ¹³C around +3‰. A U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age of an ash bed interbedded in the upper part of the δ¹³C positive plateau yielded 543 ± 3 Ma, which is considered as the depositional age ( Babinski et al., 2008a). The positive plateau in the upper Tamengo Formation and the preceding positive excursion are ubiquitous features in several successions worldwide, including the Nama Group (Namibia), the Dengying Formation (South China) and the Nafun and Ara groups (Oman). This plateau is constrained between 542 and 551 Ma, thus consistent with the age of the upper Tamengo Formation. The negative excursion of the lower Tamengo Formation may be correlated to the Shuram–Wonoka negative anomaly, although δ¹³C values do not fall beyond −3.5‰ in the Brazilian sections. Sedimentary breccias occur just beneath this negative excursion in the lower Tamengo Formation. One possible interpretation of the origin of these breccias is a glacioeustatic sea-level fall, but a tectonic interpretation cannot be completely ruled out.     

Accumulation patterns of Cu and Ni for Indigofera melanadenia and Tephrosia longipes plant species growing in Cu–Ni mining area in Botswana

Indigofera melanadenia and Tephrosia longipes plant species, collected from Cu–Ni mining area, were evaluated for accumulation of Cu and Ni. The total and bioavailable concentrations of Cu and Ni in the host soils were also determined. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used for all metal determinations. The total and bioavailable concentrations of Cu in the soils were in the range 900–9000 μg/g and 200–2000 μg/g respectively. For Ni, the total and bioavailable concentrations were in the range 900–2000 μg/g and ∼ 40–100 μg/g respectively. The concentrations of Cu and Ni in the leaves of I. melanadenia were higher than in the roots with a range 80–130 μg/g in the leaves and 20–80 μg/g in the roots for Cu and a range of 150–200 μg/g in the leaves and 20–60 μg/g in the roots for Ni. Concentration of Cu in T. longipes was in the range of 37–240 μg/g and 150–200 μg/g in the leaves and roots respectively while the concentration of Ni was 80–140 μg/g in the leaves and 25–100 μg/g in the roots. Results indicate that both species have a potential for accumulating Cu and Ni. Translocation factor, a ratio of shoots to roots metal concentration, was used to evaluate the translocation properties of the plants from roots to shoots. Translocation factors of the plants were ≥ 1 suggesting efficient translocation of metals from roots to shoots.     

Late Holocene vegetation and climate oscillations in the Qaidam Basin of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Pollen evidence from sediment cores at Hurleg and Toson lakes in the Qaidam Basin was obtained to examine vegetation and climatic change in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The chronologies were controlled by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs analysis and AMS ¹⁴C dating. Pollen assemblages from both lakes are dominated by Chenopodiaceae (∼ 40%), Artemisia (∼ 30-35%) and Poaceae (∼ 20-25%), with continued occurrence but low abundance of Nitraria, Ephedra, and Cyperaceae. Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) pollen ratios from two lakes show coherent large oscillations at centennial timescale during the last 1000 yr. A/C ratios were high around AD 1170, 1270, 1450, 1700 and 1920, suggesting that the vegetation was more “steppe-like” under a relatively moist climate than that during the intervening periods. Wet-dry climate shifts at the two lakes (2800 m asl) are in opposite phases to precipitation changes derived from tree-ring records in the surrounding mountains (> 3700 m asl) and to pollen and snow accumulation records from Dunde ice core (5300 m asl), showing that a dry climate in the basin corresponds with a wet interval in the mountains, especially around AD 1600. This contrasting pattern implies that topography might have played an important role in mediating moisture changes at regional scale in this topographically complex region.     

Late Holocene environmental reconstruction using cave sediments from Belize

Cave sediments collected from Reflection Cave on the Vaca Plateau, Belize show variations in the δ¹³C values of their fulvic acids (FAs), which indicate periods of vegetation change caused by climatic and Maya influences during the late Holocene. The δ¹³C values range from − 27.11‰ to − 21.52‰, a shift of ∼ 5.59‰, which suggests fluctuating contributions of C₃ and C₄ plants throughout the last 2.5 ka, with C₄ plant input reflecting periods of Maya agriculture. Maya activity in the study area occurred at different intensities from ∼ 2600 cal yr BP until ∼ 1500 cal yr BP, after which agricultural practices waned as the Maya depopulated the area. These changes in plant assemblages were in response to changes in available water resources, with increased aridity leading to the eventual abandonment of agricultural areas. The Ix Chel archaeological site, located in the study area, is a highland site that would have been among the first agricultural settlements to be affected during periods of aridity. During these periods, minimal water resources would have been available in this highly karstified, well-drained area, and supplemental groundwater extraction would have been difficult due to the extreme depth of the water table.     

Pleistocene vertebrates of the Yukon Territory

Unglaciated parts of the Yukon constitute one of the most important areas in North America for yielding Pleistocene vertebrate fossils. Nearly 30 vertebrate faunal localities are reviewed spanning a period of about 1.6 Ma (million years ago) to the close of the Pleistocene some 10 000 BP (radiocarbon years before present, taken as 1950). The vertebrate fossils represent at least 8 species of fishes, 1 amphibian, 41 species of birds and 83 species of mammals. Dominant among the large mammals are: steppe bison (Bison priscus), horse (Equus sp.), woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) – signature species of the Mammoth Steppe fauna (Fig. 1), which was widespread from the British Isles, through northern Europe, and Siberia to Alaska, Yukon and adjacent Northwest Territories. The Yukon faunas extend from Herschel Island in the north to Revenue Creek in the south and from the Alaskan border in the west to Ketza River in the east. The Yukon holds evidence of the earliest-known people in North America. Artifacts made from bison, mammoth and caribou bones from Bluefish Caves, Old Crow Basin and Dawson City areas show that people had a substantial knowledge of making and using bone tools at least by 25 000 BP, and possibly as early as 40 000 BP. A suggested chronological sequence of Yukon Pleistocene vertebrates (Table 1) facilitates comparison of selected faunas and indicates the known duration of various taxa.     

O/O and D/H ratios of pedogenic kaolinite in a North American Cenomanian laterite: Paleoclimatic implications

Kaolinite, gibbsite and quartz are the dominant minerals in samples collected from two outcrops of a Cenomanian (∼95 Ma) laterite in southwestern Minnesota. A combination of measured yields and isotope ratios permitted mass balance calculations of the δD and δ¹⁸O values of the kaolinite in these samples. These calculations yielded kaolinite δD values of about −73‰ and δ¹⁸O values of about +18.7‰. The δD and δ¹⁸O values appear to preserve information on the ancient weathering system.If formed in hydrogen and oxygen isotope equilibrium with water characterized by the global meteoric water line (GMWL), the kaolinite δD and δ¹⁸O values indicate a crystallization temperature of 22 (±5) °C. A nominal paleotemperature of 22 °C implies a δ¹⁸O value for the corresponding water of −6.3‰. The combination of temperature and meteoric water δ¹⁸O values is consistent with relatively intense rainfall at that mid-paleolatitude location (∼40°N) on the eastern shore of the North American Western Interior Seaway. The inferred Cenomanian paleosol temperature of ∼22 °C is in general accord with published mid-Cretaceous continental mean annual temperatures (MAT) estimated from leaf margin analyses of fossil plants.When compared with results from a published GCM-based Cenomanian climate simulation which specifies a latitudinal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient that was either near modern or smaller-than-modern, the kaolinite paleotemperature of 22 °C is closer to the GCM-predicted MAT for a smaller equator-to-pole temperature difference in the mid-Cretaceous. Moreover, the warm, kaolinite-derived, mid-paleolatitude temperature of 22 °C is associated with proxy estimates of high concentrations of atmospheric CO₂ in the Cenomanian. The overall similarity of proxy and model results suggests that the general features of Cenomanian continental climate in that North American locale are probably being revealed.     

Molluscs as evidence for a late Pleistocene and early Holocene humid period in the southern coastal desert of Peru (14.5°S)

The southern Peruvian coastal desert around Palpa, southern Peru (14.5°S) is currently characterized by hyper-arid conditions. However, the presence of two species of molluscs (Scutalus, Pupoides) and desert-loess deposits indicates the past development of semi-desert and grassland ecosystems caused by a displacement of the eastern desert margin due to hydrological changes. Radiocarbon dating shows that the transition to a semi-arid climate in the southern Peruvian coastal desert took place during the Greenland interstadial 1, ∼ 13.5 cal ka BP. At the beginning of the Holocene, the mollusc fauna vanished due to increasing humidity and the development of grasslands. Dust particles were fixed by the grasses, as indicated by abundant Poaceae phytoliths, and desert loess was formed. The humid period we observe here is out of phase with the palaeoenvironmental records from the Titicaca region, which indicates dry conditions at that time. This paper offers a new idea for this contradiction: an orbitally driven meridional shift of the Bolivian high might have altered the moisture supply across the Andes.     

First record of the puzosiine ammonite genus Pachydesmoceras from the Middle and Upper Turonian of Poland

Two gigantic individuals of the puzosiine ammonite genus Pachydesmoceras, from uppermost Middle and lower Upper Turonian strata in central and southwest Poland, are described and illustrated as the first examples of this genus to be recorded from Poland. Specific identification is problematic because of internal mould preservation and deformation to various extent; in addition, comparative material from other European localities is lacking. Representatives of Pachydesmoceras are typical of the Tethyan Realm; records from the European and Northwest Pacific provinces in the Boreal Realm are few. Both Polish specimens are referred to as P. cf. pachydiscoide Matsumoto.     

First record of Bison antiquus from the Late Pleistocene of southern Mexico

In Mexico, just 54% of the reported Pleistocene Bison material has been identified to species. Current paleontological research in northwestern Oaxaca, southern Mexico, has allowed collection of several specimens of Bison antiquus that are part of the Viko Vijin Local Fauna. B. antiquus had a very wide geographic distribution, from lowlands to mountainous landscapes of North and Central America. The B. antiquus record from southern Mexico links their former records from central Mexico and middle Central America and confirms this wide geographic distribution. The univariate mesowear score of the B. antiquus specimens from Oaxaca is in the lower extreme of grazers and the upper end of mixed-feeders, suggesting that they had a less abrasive diet than the modern plains Bison, as has been observed in other samples of this species from diverse parts of North America. The presence of B. antiquus in the Viko Vijin L. F. constrains the age of this fossil assemblage within a range from 60 Ka to 11.7 Ka.     

Magnetostratigraphy of the Orce region (Baza Basin), SE Spain: New chronologies for Early Pleistocene faunas and hominid occupation sites

The Orce fossil quarries, in the Baza Basin of southeastern Spain, are a rich source of Early Pleistocene Palaeolithic tools and vertebrate remains. Geologic fieldwork during the last decade has placed these fossiliferous strata within the context of a thick Neogene continental sequence. Detailed lithostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic results indicate that at least the upper 60 m of this sequence are of Early Pleistocene age. The quarried strata (Venta Micena, Barranco León and Fuentenueva-3) are from a narrow time span (<100 ka) starting before 1.3 Ma. A new, lower excavation at ∼1.5 Ma (Fuentenueva-1 quarry) has a distinctly older fauna. These Orce strata provide a high resolution, Early Pleistocene record of grassland fauna that shows the end of Mammal Neogene fauna (MN17) in the Fuentenueva-1 site (with Gazella borbonica, Equus stenonis) and the beginning of more characteristic Pleistocene fauna in the Venta Micena site (with Hippopotamus antiquus, Equus granatensis, Homo sp.). Thus far, no evidence for human occupation has been found within the earlier Fuentenueva-1 quarry, although many of the same terminal MN17 species have been found with hominids on the other side of Europe at the Dmanisi site (earliest Pleistocene) in the Republic of Georgia.     

Biting midges of the extinct genus Protoculicoides Boesel from Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just,Spain and new synonymy in recently described fossil genera (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

We describe two new species of extinct biting midges in the fossil genus Protoculicoides: Protoculicoides hispanicus Szadziewski and Arillo, sp. nov. and Protoculicodes sanjusti Szadziewski and Arillo, sp. nov., from Albian (101–113 Ma) amber of San Just, Spain. Atriculicoides Remm, 1976 is recognized as a new junior synonym of Protoculicoides Boesel, 1937 (NEW SYNONYM). Devalquia Choufani et al., 2013 is regarded here as a new junior synonym of the extant genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (NEW SYNONYM). Metahelea roggeroi Choufani et al., 2013 from Upper Cretaceous French amber, is excluded from the tribe Heteromyiini and placed in the extant genus Stilobezzia Kieffer, 1911, tribe Ceratopogonini: Stilobezzia roggeroi (Choufani et al., 2013), comb. nov. The extinct tribe Atriculicoidini Szadziewski, 1996 is regarded as a new subfamily, Atriculicoidinae, stat. nov., that includes the fossil genus Protoculicoides, with 13 species reported from Albian, Turonian, Cenomanian, Coniacian, Santonian and Campanian ambers (78–113 Ma). Protoculicoides skalskii Szadziewski & Arillo, 1998 from Lower Cretaceous amber of Álava, Spain, Protoculicoides succineus Szadziewski, 1966 from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber and Protoculicoides burmiticus Szadziewski & Poinar, 2005 from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber are transferred to the extinct genus Archiculicoides Szadziewski, 1996, comb. nov. Protoculicoides krzeminskii Choufani et al., 2014 from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber is transferred to the extinct genus Archiaustroconops Szadziewski, 1996, comb. nov. The Cretaceous subfamily Atriculicoidinae forms an unresolved trichotomy with the extant subfamilies Forcipomyiinae and Dasyheleinae, both of which date to the Eocene. The fossil record indicates that wings with macrotrichia in biting midges evolved during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse climate. We suggest that this was an evolutionary adaptation to new atmospheric conditions with higher levels of CO₂ in order for the antennal Johnston's organs of males to receive the vibrational sex signals produced by females during flight.     

Dung, diet, and the paleoenvironment of the extinct shrub-ox (Euceratherium collinum) on the Colorado Plateau, USA

Fossil remains of Euceratherium collinum (extinct shrub-ox) have been found throughout North America, including the Grand Canyon. Recent finds from the Escalante River Basin in southern Utah further extend the animal's range into the heart of the Colorado Plateau. E. collinum teeth and a metapodial condyle (foot bone) have been recovered in association with large distinctively shaped dung pellets, a morphology similar to a ‘Hershey's Kiss’ (HK), from a late Pleistocene dung layer in Bechan Cave. HK dung pellets have also been recovered from other alcoves in the Escalante River Basin including Willow and Fortymile canyons. Detailed analyses of the HK pellets confirmed them to be E. collinum and indicate a browser-type diet dominated (> 95%) by trees and shrubs: Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush), Acacia sp. (acacia), Quercus (oak), and Chrysothamnus (rabbit brush). The retrieval of spring and fall pollen suggests E. collinum was a year-round resident in the Escalante River Basin.