Journal
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
Volume 431, Issue -, Pages 26-42Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.04.020
Keywords
Buia; Eritrea; Suid remains; Microwear; Early Pleistocene
Funding
- Atapuerca Foundation
- Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [CGL2010-15326/BTE, HAR2013-48784-C3-1-P]
- Generalitat de Catalunya [GENCAT 2014 SGR 901]
- European Commission's Research Infrastructure Action via the SYNTHESYS Project [AT-TAF-4385]
- L.S.B. Leakey Foundation
- National Geographic Society [7946/05]
- Wenner Gren Foundation [7575/06]
- Eritrean National Museum
- Italian MIUR (Italian Ministry for University and Education)
- Grandi Scavi Archeologici Univ. La Sapienza of Rome
- MAE (Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
- ICREA Funding Source: Custom
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The fossiliferous late Early Pleistocene deposits of the Buia Basin (dated to c. 1 Ma) at the Danakil depression, contain three different suid species (Kolpochoerus olduvaiensis, Kolpochoerus majus, and Metridiochoerus modestus). These suid taxa are morphologically evolved and are found in association with a diverse large vertebrate faunal assemblage, including the genus Homo and a rich accumulation of Acheulean tools. The anatomic, biometric, morphometric and dental microwear analyses, show significant data of dietary traits, habitat and evolutionary changes. In suids, despite their omnivorous diets, microwear study can play a significant role in understanding dietary habits. The results of our study show morphological distinction between the three suid species. Conversely, the microwear patterns recorded on the dental surfaces show overlapping of ecological niches among the species. We believe that their opportunistic feeding and rapid reproduction process might have sustained their survival within the mosaic environments of the Buia Basin in competition with other faunas (other ungulates, carnivores and monkeys) and hominins. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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