Του Γιώργου Λεκάκη
Μια νέα μελέτη εξέτασε απολιθωμένα
ζωικά υπολείμματα 1.500.000 χρόνων. Διεξήχθη από τον κ. Manuel
Domínguez-Rodrigo και τους συναδέλφους του.
Δηλώνει ότι στον ύστερο
καινοζωικό αιώνα οι machairodontinae / γάτες - αρπακτικά
με «δόντια σαν σπαθιά» / μαχαιρόδοντες / μαχαιρoδοντίνες, καταβρόχθιζαν τα θηράματά τους, και μερικές
φορές κατανάλωναν ακόμη και μερικά από τα οστά τους…
Οι υπερτροφικοί άνω κυνόδοντες
αυτών των τεράστιων γάτων, τους έχει δώσει το ονοματεπώνυμο "Sabertooths".
Αυτές οι γάτες, θεωρούνται μεταξύ
των πιο εμβληματικών - και αινιγματικών – αρπακτικών, που έζησαν ποτέ στην Γη…
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| Examples of the carcass consumption capabilities of Xenosmilus. Complete defleshing and frequent contact with bone resulting in bone breakage and deletion has been documented on scapulae (A), humeri (B), tibiae (C), ribs (D), femora (F), innominates (G), ulnae (E, H), and vertebrae (I), with a many of the latter completely fragmented. In contrast, radii appear less affected (E), as in carcasses consumed by modern lions (Fig. 2). A complete skeleton of Xenosmilus hodsonae is shown in the center, resulting from the combination of the fairly complete holotype skeleton and the paratype skeleton found together at Haile 21A (J). This mounted skeleton is currently displayed at the Florida Museum of Natural History (Gainesville). |
Αυτό έχει σημαντικές επιπτώσεις για την δυναμική των σαρκοφάγων του Πλειστόκαινου, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της συμπεριφοράς αναζήτησης τροφής, αλλά και των πρώτων ανθρώπων, που χρησιμοποίησαν πέτρινα εργαλεία….
ΠΗΓΗ: Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, Charles P. Egeland, Lucía Cobo-Sánchez, Enrique Baquedano & Richard C. Hulbert Jr. / Πανεπιστήμιο Rice «Sabertooth carcass consumption behavior and the dynamics of Pleistocene large carnivoran guilds», στο Scientific Reports, volume 12, αρ.: 6045 (2022), 2.5.2022. ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ, 3.5.2022.
Abstract
Apex predators play an important role in the top-down regulation of ecological communities. Their hunting and feeding behaviors influence, respectively, prey demography and the availability of resources to other consumers. Among the most iconic—and enigmatic—terrestrial predators of the late Cenozoic are the Machairodontinae, a diverse group of big cats whose hypertrophied upper canines have earned them the moniker “sabertooths.” Many aspects of these animals’ paleobiology, especially their prey preferences and carcass consumption behavior, remain unsettled. While skeletal anatomy, dental morphology and wear, and isotopic profiles provide important insights, the most direct way to resolve these issues is through the fossil remains of sabertooth prey. Here, we report on a taphonomic analysis of an early Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Haile 21A (Florida, USA) that preserves feeding damage from the lion-sized sabertooth Xenosmilus hodsonae. Patterns of tooth-marking and bone damage indicate that Xenosmilus fully defleshed the carcasses of their prey and even engaged in some minor bone consumption. This has important implications for Pleistocene carnivoran guild dynamics, including the carcass foraging behavior of the first stone-tool-using hominins.
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