Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America PDF
Preview Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America
Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys Life of the Past James O. Farlow, editor Horned Armadillos The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America Indiana University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis and Rafting Monkeys DARIN A. CROFT Illustrated by Velizar Simeonovski This book is a publication of Indiana University Press The paper used in this publication Office of Scholarly Publishing meets the minimum requirements of Herman B Wells Library 350 the American National Standard for 1320 East 10th Street Information Sciences – Permanence of Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. iupress.indiana.edu Manufactured in China © 2016 by Darin A. Croft Cataloging information is available from All rights reserved the Library of Congress. No part of this book may be reproduced ISBN 978-0-253-02084-0 (cloth) or utilized in any form or by any means, ISBN 978-0-253-02094-9 (ebook) electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by 1 2 3 4 5 21 20 19 18 17 16 any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. To anyone who has ever wondered what a notoungulate looked like. “Here is indeed an interesting mixture of creatures, and it takes only a modicum of human curiosity to want to know their history and to learn, as far as possible, how that mixture arose.” George Gaylord Simpson, Splendid Isolation: The Curious History of South American Mammals Contents C ix Preface xi Acknowledgments 2 1. Time and Geography 9 2. Introduction to Mammals Part I 22 3. Tiupampa, Bolivia 48 5. Gran Barranca, Argentina Early South American 26 3.1 Pucadelphys andinus 52 5.1 Sebecus icaeorhinus Phase and Trans- 30 3.2 Mayulestes ferox 54 5.2 N iolamia argentina and Atlantic Dispersal 32 3.3 Molinodus suarezi Caroloameghinia mater Interval (TADI) 34 3.4 Alcidedorbignya inopinata 56 5.3 Utaetus buccatus 58 5.4 Thomashuxleya rostrata 36 4. Itaboraí, Brazil 60 5.5 Notopithecus adapinus 40 4.1 Epidolops ameghinoi 42 4.2 Colbertia magellanica 62 6. La Gran Hondonada, Argentina 44 4.3 Protolipterna ellipsodontoides 66 6.1 Otronia muhlbergi 46 4.4 Carodnia vieirai 68 6.2 Pseudhyrax eutrachytheroides 70 6.3 Puelia plicata 72 6.4 Trigonostylops wortmani Part II 76 7. Tinguiririca, Chile 134 11. La Venta, Colombia Late South 80 7.1 Klohnia charrieri 138 11.1 Neotamandua borealis American Phase 82 7.2 Pseudoglyptodon chilensis 140 11.2 Cebupithecia sarmientoi 86 7.3 Andemys termasi 142 11.3 M egadolodus molariformis and 88 7.4 Santiagorothia chiliensis Purussaurus neivensis 144 11.4 Miocochilius anamopodus 90 8. Salla, Bolivia 146 11.5 Granastrapotherium snorki 94 8.1 Paraborhyaena boliviana 96 8.2 Branisella boliviana 148 12. Quebrada Honda, Bolivia 98 8.3 Anayatherium fortis 152 12.1 Acyon myctoderos 100 8.4 Trachytherus alloxus 154 12.2 Hondalagus altiplanensis 102 8.5 Pyrotherium romeroi 156 12.3 Guiomys unica 158 12.4 Hemihegetotherium trilobus 104 9. Chucal, Chile 108 9.1 P arapropalaehoplophorus 160 13. Arroyo Chasicó, Argentina septentrionalis 164 13.1 Protomegalonyx chasicoensis 110 9.2 Peltephilus ferox 166 13.2 P rolagostomus and Lycopsis 112 9.3 Theosodon lallemanti viverensis 114 9.4 Nesodon imbricatus 168 13.3 Neobrachytherium ullumense 116 9.5 Altitypotherium chucalensis 170 13.4 Chasicotherium rothi 172 13.5 Typotheriopsis chasicoensis 118 10. Santa Cruz, Argentina 122 10.1 Necrolestes patagonensis 124 10.2 Borhyaena tuberata 126 10.3 Hapalops indifferens 128 10.4 Steiromys duplicatus 130 10.5 Thoatherium minusculum 132 10.6 Interatherium robustum Part III 176 14. Acre, Brazil The Great American 180 14.1 Neoglyptatelus originalis Biotic Interchange 182 14.2 Thalassocnus natans (GABI) and the 184 14.3 Phoberomys burmeisteri Interamerican Phase 186 14.4 Trigodon 188 15. Catamarca, Argentina 192 15.1 Andalgalornis steulleti 194 15.2 Thylacosmilus atrox 196 15.3 Vassallia maxima and Argentavis magnificens 198 15.4 Pronothrotherium typicum 200 15.5 Cyonasua brevirostris 202 16. Chapadmalal, Argentina 206 16.1 Sparassocynus derivatus 208 16.2 Macroeuphractus outesi 210 16.3 Scelidotherium parodii 212 16.4 Platygonus marplatensis 214 16.5 Paedotherium typicum 216 17. Tarija, Bolivia 220 17.1 Cuvieronius hyodon 222 17.2 Glyptodon reticulatus 224 17.3 Doedicurus clavicaudatus 226 17.4 Megatherium americanum 228 17.5 Protocyon tarijensis and Glossotherium tarijense 230 17.6 Smilodon populator 232 17.7 Onohippidium devillei 234 17.8 Macrauchenia patachonica 236 17.9 Toxodon platensis 239 Further Reading Appendices 261 Appendix 1. Alphabetical List of Species 262 Appendix 2. Families and Higher Taxonomic Groups 265 Appendix 3. Mammals of Tiupampa, Bolivia 266 Appendix 4. Mammals of Itaboraí, Brazil 268 Appendix 5. Middle Eocene (“Barrancan”) Mammals of Gran Barranca, Argentina 270 Appendix 6. Mammals of La Gran Hondonada, Argentina 271 Appendix 7. Mammals of Tinguiririca, Chile 272 Appendix 8. Mammals of Salla, Bolivia 274 Appendix 9. Mammals of Chucal, Chile 274 Appendix 10. Mammals of Coastal Santa Cruz, Argentina 278 Appendix 11. Mammals of La Venta, Colombia 280 Appendix 12. Mammals of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia 282 Appendix 13. Mammals of Arroyo Chasicó, Argentina 284 Appendix 14. Mammals of Acre (Brazil and Peru) 285 Appendix 15. Mammals of Catamarca, Argentina 287 Appendix 16. Mammals of Chapadmalal, Argentina 289 Appendix 17. Mammals of Tarija, Bolivia 293 Glossary 299 Index Preface P South America has a rich and fascinating fossil mammal record, the best among Southern Hemisphere continents. Unfortunately, most of these mammals are virtually unknown to the general public and even many paleontologists. One reason for this is that many varied and abundant groups left no living representatives or even close relatives. This makes it is difficult to make definitive statements about the habits of these mammals or even imagine what they may have looked like. Because most of these groups were restricted to South America, only a few museums outside that continent have specimens of them on display, and this has further impeded awareness of them elsewhere. I myself was almost completely ignorant of the marvelous mammals of ancient South America until I undertook a Ph.D. thesis studying ex- tinct species from Chile. Once I became familiar with them, I was struck by how difficult it was for friends and family to relate to the animals I was studying. I would describe these animals as small hoofed mammals that were not closely related to cows or horses and may have resembled large rodents more than anything else. That description usually just confused things or resulted in a shift in conversation. I realized that it was impos- sible for most people to identify with these animals without accurate reconstructions of how they may have appeared in life and accessible information about the roles they filled in ancient ecosystems. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with a compelling but understandable summary of the extraordinary diversity of extinct South American mammals. I begin by briefly discussing the geography and main groups of South American mammals in the first two sections. I then highlight several species (primarily mammals) at each of 15 particularly well known paleontological sites. These sites were chosen because they span the so-called Age of Mammals (the Cenozoic Era, the last 66 mil- lion years), are distributed throughout much of the continent, and have produced important fossils of extinct species. The appendices of this book provide additional information about these sites and their extinct animals. Appendix 1 is an alphabetical list of the species reconstructed in this book. Appendix 2 is a comprehensive classification of families and higher taxonomic groups that are mentioned. This appendix also notes which families are represented by life reconstructions and discussed in greater detail. Appendices 3–17 list the mammal species that have been found at each of the sites highlighted in this book. These lists include relevant citations from the scientific literature. ix
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