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Subfossil lemur discoveries from the Beanka Protected Area in western Madagascar

  • Burney, David A. National Tropical Botanical Garden, 3530 Papalina Road, Kalaheo, Hawaii 96741, USA
  • Andriamialison, Haingoson Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable, Domaine Sciences et Technologie, Université de Antananarivo, B.P. 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Andrianaivoarivelo, Radosoa A. Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar, B.P. 11028, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Bourne, Steven Naracoorte Lucindale Council, P.O. Box 2153, Naracoorte, Australia
  • Crowley, Brooke E. Departments of Geology and Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
  • Boer, Erik J. de Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (ICTJA-CSIC), Lluís Solé i Sabaris s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
  • Godfrey, Laurie R. Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, 240 Hicks Way, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
  • Goodman, Steven M. Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, USA - Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Griffiths, Christine Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar, B.P. 11028, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Griffiths, Owen Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar, B.P. 11028, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar - Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
  • Hume, Julian P. Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring HP23 6AP, United Kingdom
  • Joyce, Walter G. Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Jungers, William L. Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Marciniak, Stephanie Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Old Main, State College, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
  • Middleton, Gregory J. Sydney Speleological Society, Box 269, Sandy Bay, Tasmania 7006, Australia
  • Muldoon, Kathleen M. Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona 85308, USA
  • Noromalala, Eliette Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable, Domaine Sciences et Technologie, Université de Antananarivo, B.P. 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Pérez, Ventura R. Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, 240 Hicks Way, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
  • Perry, George H. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Old Main, State College, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
  • Randalana, Roger Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar, B.P. 11028, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
  • Wright, Henry T. Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, and Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, USA
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    02.10.2019
Published in:
  • Quaternary Research. - 2020, vol. 93, no. 1, p. 187–203
English A new fossil site in a previously unexplored part of western Madagascar (the Beanka Protected Area) has yielded remains of many recently extinct vertebrates, including giant lemurs (Babakotia radofilai, Palaeopropithecus kelyus, Pachylemur sp., and Archaeolemur edwardsi), carnivores (Cryptoprocta spelea), the aardvark-like Plesiorycteropus sp., and giant ground cuckoos (Coua). Many of these represent considerable range extensions. Extant species that were extirpated from the region (e.g., Prolemur simus) are also present. Calibrated radiocarbon ages for 10 bones from extinct primates span the last three millennia. The largely undisturbed taphonomy of bone deposits supports the interpretation that many specimens fell in from a rock ledge above the entrance. Some primates and other mammals may have been prey items of avian predators, but human predation is also evident. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) suggest that fossils were local to the area. Pottery sherds and bones of extinct and extant vertebrates with cut and chop marks indicate human activity in previous centuries. Scarcity of charcoal and human artifacts suggests only occasional visitation to the site by humans. The fossil assemblage from this site is unusual in that, while it contains many sloth lemurs, it lacks ratites, hippopotami, and crocodiles typical of nearly all other Holocene subfossil sites on Madagascar.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Géosciences
Language
  • English
Classification
Palaeontology
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/308394
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