A Pleistocene Fight Club revealed by the palaeobiological study of the Dama-like deer record from Pantalla (Italy).

Autor: Cherin M; Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy. marco.cherin@unipg.it., Breda M; University Museum Centre (CAM), University of Padova, 35121, Padova, Italy., Esattore B; Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, 104 00, Prague, Czech Republic., Hart V; Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic., Turek J; Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic., Porciello F; Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126, Perugia, Italy., Angeli G; Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126, Perugia, Italy., Holpin S; School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FE, UK., Iurino DA; PaleoFactory, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2022 Aug 16; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 13898. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Aug 16.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18091-1
Abstrakt: Here, we report on the exceptionally well-preserved deer record from the locality of Pantalla (central Italy), dated in the Early Pleistocene (ca. 2.1-2.0 million years ago). The fossils show a combination of characters that allows an unambiguous attribution to 'Pseudodama' nestii, of which they represent one of the most informative collections to date. Our comparisons-also conducted through CT-based methods on endocranial structures-reveal that the cranial and postcranial skeleton of 'P.' nestii displays a mosaic of intermediate characters between extant Dama and Cervus, but also that the affinities with Dama are prevalent. Some Cervus-like features especially in cranial morphology, can be interpreted as plesiomorphic characters supporting a basal position of 'Pseudodama' among the Cervini. Interestingly, three bone anomalies are described in the two male crania of 'P.' nestii from Pantalla and are interpreted as palaeotraumatological evidence resulting from different injuries suffered by the deer during their life. This allows opening a treasure trove of information on paleobiological aspects, including ontogeny and antler cycle and function.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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