First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)

Abstract Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Zain Belaústegui, Antonio Toscano, Fernando Muñiz, João Belo, Jose María Galán, Paula Gómez, Luis M. Cáceres, Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal, Pedro Proença Cunha, Mario Cachão, Francisco Ruiz, Samuel Ramirez-Cruzado, Francisco Giles-Guzmán, Geraldine Finlayson, Stewart Finlayson, Clive Finlayson
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/5cd00a0c2e74407c98e185e8b93f8f4f
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:5cd00a0c2e74407c98e185e8b93f8f4f
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:5cd00a0c2e74407c98e185e8b93f8f4f2021-12-02T15:33:23ZFirst tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)10.1038/s41598-021-96754-12045-2322https://doaj.org/article/5cd00a0c2e74407c98e185e8b93f8f4f2021-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96754-1https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves.Carlos Neto de CarvalhoZain BelaústeguiAntonio ToscanoFernando MuñizJoão BeloJose María GalánPaula GómezLuis M. CáceresJoaquín Rodríguez-VidalPedro Proença CunhaMario CachãoFrancisco RuizSamuel Ramirez-CruzadoFrancisco Giles-GuzmánGeraldine FinlaysonStewart FinlaysonClive FinlaysonNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Carlos Neto de Carvalho Zain Belaústegui Antonio Toscano Fernando Muñiz João Belo Jose María Galán Paula Gómez Luis M. Cáceres Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal Pedro Proença Cunha Mario Cachão Francisco Ruiz Samuel Ramirez-Cruzado Francisco Giles-Guzmán Geraldine Finlayson Stewart Finlayson Clive Finlayson First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
description	Abstract Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves.
format	article
author	Carlos Neto de Carvalho Zain Belaústegui Antonio Toscano Fernando Muñiz João Belo Jose María Galán Paula Gómez Luis M. Cáceres Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal Pedro Proença Cunha Mario Cachão Francisco Ruiz Samuel Ramirez-Cruzado Francisco Giles-Guzmán Geraldine Finlayson Stewart Finlayson Clive Finlayson
author_facet	Carlos Neto de Carvalho Zain Belaústegui Antonio Toscano Fernando Muñiz João Belo Jose María Galán Paula Gómez Luis M. Cáceres Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal Pedro Proença Cunha Mario Cachão Francisco Ruiz Samuel Ramirez-Cruzado Francisco Giles-Guzmán Geraldine Finlayson Stewart Finlayson Clive Finlayson
author_sort	Carlos Neto de Carvalho
title	First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
title_short	First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
title_full	First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
title_fullStr	First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
title_full_unstemmed	First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
title_sort	first tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (palaeoloxodon antiquus)
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/5cd00a0c2e74407c98e185e8b93f8f4f
work_keys_str_mv	AT carlosnetodecarvalho firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT zainbelaustegui firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT antoniotoscano firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT fernandomuniz firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT joaobelo firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT josemariagalan firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT paulagomez firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT luismcaceres firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT joaquinrodriguezvidal firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT pedroproencacunha firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT mariocachao firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT franciscoruiz firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT samuelramirezcruzado firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT franciscogilesguzman firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT geraldinefinlayson firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT stewartfinlayson firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus AT clivefinlayson firsttracksofnewbornstraighttuskedelephantspalaeoloxodonantiquus
_version_	1718387084372213760

First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)

Ejemplares similares