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in Jacob, Diniz, Kerber, Dentzien-Dias et Francischini, 2024. |
Abstract
Coprolites provide information about the presence, diet, and feeding behavior of the producer, besides the trophic relationships between extinct taxa and the regional paleoclimatic context where these organisms lived. Here, we present a paleobiological and paleoecological investigation of a Late Pleistocene carnivore coprolite found in southern Brazil (Touro Passo Formation, Rio Grande do Sul). Our analyses include morphological and morphometric approaches employing scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and CT-scanning. The analyzed coprolite is cylindrical, measuring 180 mm in length and 40 mm maximum in diameter, and contains a high proportion of phosphorus and calcium. Interestingly, it presents a large quantity of 102 osteoderms attributed to a Pleistocene ground sloth (Mylodontidae indet.). The size and contents of the coprolite suggest that it was produced by a large carnivorous animal comparable to representatives of Smilodon or another large carnivore mammal. The structure of the osteoderms resembles the morphological pattern found in Mylodontidae, but they are smaller than those described for adult individuals, suggesting that the coprolite producer possibly fed on a juvenile ground sloth. Palynological analysis was also performed, and the low pollen content indicates accidental consumption of plants or pollen, through the viscera of the prey or with the ingestion of water. These paleoenvironmental data suggest that the coprolite producer may have inhabited floodplain regions near river courses, where the coprolite was deposited. These results help to understand the ecological dynamics during the Late Pleistocene of South America.
Coprolite producer
The coprolite MCP-5176-PV was evidently produced by a carnivore, given its cylindrical morphology, whitish-gray color, and phosphatic composition. Moreover, the producer, which ingested (at least) the osteoderm-bearing portion of a giant sloth skin, was of a considerable size, based on its feces large dimensions.
Animals from the Late Pleistocene of South America that were big enough to produce the coprolite MCP-5176-PV include mammals (mainly canids, felids, and ursids) and crocodilians (e.g., ...
Conclusions:
This study reveals new evidence on the food chain dynamics in the Late Pleistocene of southern Brazil. The coprolite described here was produced by a large carnivorous animal, probably a felid comparable in size to Smilodon populator, Panthera onca, and Puma concolor. This animal fed on a ground sloth, as revealed by the presence of more than 102 osteoderms in the coprolite. These ossicles are regarded as Mylodontidae osteoderms, but smaller than those associated with adult ground sloths, ...
Thândara Jacob, Débora Diniz, Leonardo Kerber, Paula Dentzien-Dias and Heitor Francischini. 2024. A Large-sized Mammalian Coprolite containing Ground Sloth Osteoderms from the Upper Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation of Brazil. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 133, 104715. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104715
