Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Tim White, Raymond L. Bernor, Lorenzo Rook, and Elisabeth S. Vrba
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0019
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages document diverse evolutionary trajectories for mammalian species across the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. The assemblages indicate a number of ...
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The Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages document diverse evolutionary trajectories for mammalian species across the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. The assemblages indicate a number of originations and extinctions in various groups adapted to different habitats. This chapter examines the biochronological and evolutionary significance of the Middle Awash faunal assemblages by looking at possible first appearance (FA) and last appearance (LA) of mammalian species. It synthesizes the information to look into faunal turnovers and their probable causes. The fact that the Middle Awash late Miocene fauna samples two time successive horizons, dated to between 5.8 Ma and 5.2 Ma, makes it ideal to look into what factors trigger evolutionary changes in a lineage.Less
The Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages document diverse evolutionary trajectories for mammalian species across the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. The assemblages indicate a number of originations and extinctions in various groups adapted to different habitats. This chapter examines the biochronological and evolutionary significance of the Middle Awash faunal assemblages by looking at possible first appearance (FA) and last appearance (LA) of mammalian species. It synthesizes the information to look into faunal turnovers and their probable causes. The fact that the Middle Awash late Miocene fauna samples two time successive horizons, dated to between 5.8 Ma and 5.2 Ma, makes it ideal to look into what factors trigger evolutionary changes in a lineage.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie and Giday Woldegabriel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book addresses the geology, geochronology, paleontology, paleogeography, paleobiochronology, and paleoecology of the Middle Awash late Miocene. It synthesizes vertebrate evolution in eastern ...
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This book addresses the geology, geochronology, paleontology, paleogeography, paleobiochronology, and paleoecology of the Middle Awash late Miocene. It synthesizes vertebrate evolution in eastern Africa during the end of the Miocene epoch, a time during which the modern African fauna started forming. The Middle Awash valley of Ethiopia is a unique natural laboratory for the study of human origins and evolution. This introductory chapter provides a historical overview of the Middle Awash research project, which was formed to conduct geological, paleoanthropological, and archaeological reconnaissance surveys in the area.Less
This book addresses the geology, geochronology, paleontology, paleogeography, paleobiochronology, and paleoecology of the Middle Awash late Miocene. It synthesizes vertebrate evolution in eastern Africa during the end of the Miocene epoch, a time during which the modern African fauna started forming. The Middle Awash valley of Ethiopia is a unique natural laboratory for the study of human origins and evolution. This introductory chapter provides a historical overview of the Middle Awash research project, which was formed to conduct geological, paleoanthropological, and archaeological reconnaissance surveys in the area.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie and F. Clark Howell
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter describes the Middle Awash carnivore fauna, which represents one of the most diverse in the latest Miocene of eastern Africa. At least 15 genera in seven families are recognized from the ...
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This chapter describes the Middle Awash carnivore fauna, which represents one of the most diverse in the latest Miocene of eastern Africa. At least 15 genera in seven families are recognized from the Asa Koma Member of the Adu-Asa Formation and the Kuseralee Member of the Sagantole Formation. The carnivore assemblage from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash has important implications for regional and global biogeography, and it also documents the first local appearances of some taxa that established the modern African carnivore fauna.Less
This chapter describes the Middle Awash carnivore fauna, which represents one of the most diverse in the latest Miocene of eastern Africa. At least 15 genera in seven families are recognized from the Asa Koma Member of the Adu-Asa Formation and the Kuseralee Member of the Sagantole Formation. The carnivore assemblage from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash has important implications for regional and global biogeography, and it also documents the first local appearances of some taxa that established the modern African carnivore fauna.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses the phylogenetic relationships among African suids. It describes cranial and dentognathic suid remains from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash study area. The available ...
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This chapter discusses the phylogenetic relationships among African suids. It describes cranial and dentognathic suid remains from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash study area. The available fossil suid sample has increased enormously since the 1980s with the discovery of specimens from sites such as Lothagam and the Middle Awash. The chapter suggests that these collections provide deeper insights into the systematics and diversity of African tetraconodont suids during the late Miocene and early Pliocene.Less
This chapter discusses the phylogenetic relationships among African suids. It describes cranial and dentognathic suid remains from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash study area. The available fossil suid sample has increased enormously since the 1980s with the discovery of specimens from sites such as Lothagam and the Middle Awash. The chapter suggests that these collections provide deeper insights into the systematics and diversity of African tetraconodont suids during the late Miocene and early Pliocene.
Raymond L. Bernor and Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0013
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses the hipparionine horses of the Eurygnathohippus clade from the Middle Awash late Miocene. It presents the morphological description and statistical analysis of the Middle Awash ...
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This chapter discusses the hipparionine horses of the Eurygnathohippus clade from the Middle Awash late Miocene. It presents the morphological description and statistical analysis of the Middle Awash hipparions ranging in age from 6.0 to 5.2 Ma. It examines two taxa of Middle Awash late Miocene hipparion, Eurygnathohippus feibeli, from the oldest stratigraphic levels of Jara-Borkana and an apparently slowly evolving derivative, Eurygnathohippus aff. feibeli, from the 5.7 to 5.2 Ma interval. The chapter describes the discrete morphology of skull fragments, mandibular remains, and maxillary and mandibular dentitions by stratigraphic level and locality for each of the recognized taxa.Less
This chapter discusses the hipparionine horses of the Eurygnathohippus clade from the Middle Awash late Miocene. It presents the morphological description and statistical analysis of the Middle Awash hipparions ranging in age from 6.0 to 5.2 Ma. It examines two taxa of Middle Awash late Miocene hipparion, Eurygnathohippus feibeli, from the oldest stratigraphic levels of Jara-Borkana and an apparently slowly evolving derivative, Eurygnathohippus aff. feibeli, from the 5.7 to 5.2 Ma interval. The chapter describes the discrete morphology of skull fragments, mandibular remains, and maxillary and mandibular dentitions by stratigraphic level and locality for each of the recognized taxa.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie and Giday Woldegabriel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0020
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This concluding chapter summarizes the importance of the Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages in terms of their contribution toward our understanding of the diversity, evolutionary history, ...
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This concluding chapter summarizes the importance of the Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages in terms of their contribution toward our understanding of the diversity, evolutionary history, and evolutionary tempo and mode of eastern African late Miocene mammals. It also summarizes the results from the paleoenvironmental and paleobiogeographic analyses in relation to regional and global climatic changes and their impact on the speciation and extinction of various mammalian taxa and the formation of the modern African mammalian fauna. Finally, it addresses future plans for continued paleontological work on the late Miocene of the Middle Awash paleontological study area, highlighting the significance of the site and the need for a long-term maintenance and protection program.Less
This concluding chapter summarizes the importance of the Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages in terms of their contribution toward our understanding of the diversity, evolutionary history, and evolutionary tempo and mode of eastern African late Miocene mammals. It also summarizes the results from the paleoenvironmental and paleobiogeographic analyses in relation to regional and global climatic changes and their impact on the speciation and extinction of various mammalian taxa and the formation of the modern African mammalian fauna. Finally, it addresses future plans for continued paleontological work on the late Miocene of the Middle Awash paleontological study area, highlighting the significance of the site and the need for a long-term maintenance and protection program.
Raymond L. Bernor, Lorenzo Rook, and Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0018
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter conducts comparative biogeographic analyses to examine how much the Middle Awash fauna resembles faunas from other localities of similar age at the genus level. The results indicate that ...
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This chapter conducts comparative biogeographic analyses to examine how much the Middle Awash fauna resembles faunas from other localities of similar age at the genus level. The results indicate that the Middle Awash had close biogeographic relationships with eastern and northern African, Arabian, and western Eurasian localities of similar age. The analysis of Eurasian and African late Miocene localities provides information about the first and last occurrences of the taxa considered, and the geographic areas of these recorded occurrences. It also allows us to consider hypotheses about the timing and direction of paleogeographic connections between western Eurasia and northern and eastern Africa during the late Miocene.Less
This chapter conducts comparative biogeographic analyses to examine how much the Middle Awash fauna resembles faunas from other localities of similar age at the genus level. The results indicate that the Middle Awash had close biogeographic relationships with eastern and northern African, Arabian, and western Eurasian localities of similar age. The analysis of Eurasian and African late Miocene localities provides information about the first and last occurrences of the taxa considered, and the geographic areas of these recorded occurrences. It also allows us to consider hypotheses about the timing and direction of paleogeographic connections between western Eurasia and northern and eastern Africa during the late Miocene.
Denise F. Su, Stanley H. Ambrose, David Degusta, and Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0017
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter considers the paleoenvironment of the Middle Awash study area in the Afar Rift of Ethiopia. Different aspects of the large mammalian faunal communities from the Asa Koma and Kuseralee ...
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This chapter considers the paleoenvironment of the Middle Awash study area in the Afar Rift of Ethiopia. Different aspects of the large mammalian faunal communities from the Asa Koma and Kuseralee Members are examined. The chapter examines the community structure based on locomotor and dietary variables, relative abundances of indicator taxa, and ecomorphology. Independent verification of the results based on large mammalian fauna have been derived from fish, bird, and small mammal faunas and from geological and stable isotopic data.Less
This chapter considers the paleoenvironment of the Middle Awash study area in the Afar Rift of Ethiopia. Different aspects of the large mammalian faunal communities from the Asa Koma and Kuseralee Members are examined. The chapter examines the community structure based on locomotor and dietary variables, relative abundances of indicator taxa, and ecomorphology. Independent verification of the results based on large mammalian fauna have been derived from fish, bird, and small mammal faunas and from geological and stable isotopic data.
Henry B. Wesselman, Michael T. Black, and Mesfin Asnake
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses the systematics and paleoecology of the small mammals recovered in fossiliferous localities of the Adu-Asa Formation. The micromammalian fauna from the late Miocene of the ...
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This chapter discusses the systematics and paleoecology of the small mammals recovered in fossiliferous localities of the Adu-Asa Formation. The micromammalian fauna from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash is diverse and documents at least 16 taxa in eight families. The chapter also includes important new fossils from the Haradaso Member of the Sagantole Formation belonging to Alilepus, Tachyoryctes, and Thryonomys. These remains, dated to approximately 4.85 Ma, are important additions to earliest Pliocene small mammal faunas.Less
This chapter discusses the systematics and paleoecology of the small mammals recovered in fossiliferous localities of the Adu-Asa Formation. The micromammalian fauna from the late Miocene of the Middle Awash is diverse and documents at least 16 taxa in eight families. The chapter also includes important new fossils from the Haradaso Member of the Sagantole Formation belonging to Alilepus, Tachyoryctes, and Thryonomys. These remains, dated to approximately 4.85 Ma, are important additions to earliest Pliocene small mammal faunas.
Stephen R. Frost, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, and Leslea Hlusko
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter describes the cercopithecid fossils recovered from the late Miocene sediments of the western margin and Central Awash Complex (CAC) of the Middle Awash. Cercopithecids in the Adu-Asa ...
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This chapter describes the cercopithecid fossils recovered from the late Miocene sediments of the western margin and Central Awash Complex (CAC) of the Middle Awash. Cercopithecids in the Adu-Asa Formation and the Kuseralee Member of the Sagantole Formation are rare compared to other taxa, with total specimens collected from late Miocene Middle Awash deposits constituting only 3.8 percent of the total number of collected vertebrate specimens identifiable below the family level.Less
This chapter describes the cercopithecid fossils recovered from the late Miocene sediments of the western margin and Central Awash Complex (CAC) of the Middle Awash. Cercopithecids in the Adu-Asa Formation and the Kuseralee Member of the Sagantole Formation are rare compared to other taxa, with total specimens collected from late Miocene Middle Awash deposits constituting only 3.8 percent of the total number of collected vertebrate specimens identifiable below the family level.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The second volume in a series dedicated to fossil discoveries made in the Afar region of Ethiopia, this work contains description of the geological context and paleoenvironment of the early hominid ...
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The second volume in a series dedicated to fossil discoveries made in the Afar region of Ethiopia, this work contains description of the geological context and paleoenvironment of the early hominid Ardipithecus kadabba. This research, carried out by an international team, describes Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages recovered from sediments firmly dated to between 5.2 and 5.8 million years ago. Compared to other assemblages of similar age, the Middle Awash record is unparalleled in taxonomic diversity, composed of 2,760 specimens representing at least sixty five mammalian genera. This evaluation of the vertebrates from the end of the Miocene in Africa provides detailed morphological and taxonomic descriptions of dozens of taxa, including species new to science. It also incorporates results from analyses of paleoenvironment, paleobiogeography, biochronology, and faunal turnover around the Pliocene-Miocene boundary, opening a new window on the evolution of mammals, African fauna, and its environments.Less
The second volume in a series dedicated to fossil discoveries made in the Afar region of Ethiopia, this work contains description of the geological context and paleoenvironment of the early hominid Ardipithecus kadabba. This research, carried out by an international team, describes Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages recovered from sediments firmly dated to between 5.2 and 5.8 million years ago. Compared to other assemblages of similar age, the Middle Awash record is unparalleled in taxonomic diversity, composed of 2,760 specimens representing at least sixty five mammalian genera. This evaluation of the vertebrates from the end of the Miocene in Africa provides detailed morphological and taxonomic descriptions of dozens of taxa, including species new to science. It also incorporates results from analyses of paleoenvironment, paleobiogeography, biochronology, and faunal turnover around the Pliocene-Miocene boundary, opening a new window on the evolution of mammals, African fauna, and its environments.
William K. Hart, Giday Woldegabriel, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, and Paul R. Renne
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter examines the Mio-Pliocene volcanic materials exposed along the western margin of the Middle Awash area, with a primary focus on the late Miocene deposits of the Adu-Asa Formation. The ...
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This chapter examines the Mio-Pliocene volcanic materials exposed along the western margin of the Middle Awash area, with a primary focus on the late Miocene deposits of the Adu-Asa Formation. The primary goals of this chapter are to: define the different types of volcanic material preserved in the Adu-Asa Formation; present a working composite stratigraphic view of the Adu-Asa Formation volcanic horizons; present the existing geochemical data for western margin volcanic samples, including some with uncertain chronostratigraphic context; illustrate the data and observations that provided the basis for previous correlations and naming of key volcanic marker horizons; and illustrate the data and observations that provide new regional correlations and hence the establishment of newly named volcanic horizons.Less
This chapter examines the Mio-Pliocene volcanic materials exposed along the western margin of the Middle Awash area, with a primary focus on the late Miocene deposits of the Adu-Asa Formation. The primary goals of this chapter are to: define the different types of volcanic material preserved in the Adu-Asa Formation; present a working composite stratigraphic view of the Adu-Asa Formation volcanic horizons; present the existing geochemical data for western margin volcanic samples, including some with uncertain chronostratigraphic context; illustrate the data and observations that provided the basis for previous correlations and naming of key volcanic marker horizons; and illustrate the data and observations that provide new regional correlations and hence the establishment of newly named volcanic horizons.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0012
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter describes the giraffid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene deposits. The family Giraffidae is represented by two modern genera (Okapia and Giraffa) in Africa. Giraffids first appear ...
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This chapter describes the giraffid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene deposits. The family Giraffidae is represented by two modern genera (Okapia and Giraffa) in Africa. Giraffids first appear in Africa south of the Sahara sometime toward the end of the middle Miocene. During the late Miocene, however, giraffines, which were also abundant in western Eurasia, dominated the giraffid community of eastern Africa.Less
This chapter describes the giraffid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene deposits. The family Giraffidae is represented by two modern genera (Okapia and Giraffa) in Africa. Giraffids first appear in Africa south of the Sahara sometime toward the end of the middle Miocene. During the late Miocene, however, giraffines, which were also abundant in western Eurasia, dominated the giraffid community of eastern Africa.
Thomas Lehmann
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0016
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Tubulidentata is currently represented by a single extant species—Orycteropus afer, the aardvark. They are the largest African anteaters. This chapter focuses on the identification and description of ...
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Tubulidentata is currently represented by a single extant species—Orycteropus afer, the aardvark. They are the largest African anteaters. This chapter focuses on the identification and description of these aardvark specimens found in the Middle Awash late Miocene. Their importance for improving our knowledge of the order Tubulidentata is also discussed.Less
Tubulidentata is currently represented by a single extant species—Orycteropus afer, the aardvark. They are the largest African anteaters. This chapter focuses on the identification and description of these aardvark specimens found in the Middle Awash late Miocene. Their importance for improving our knowledge of the order Tubulidentata is also discussed.
Paul R. Renne, Leah E. Morgan, Giday Woldegabriel, William K. Hart, and Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
40Ar/39Ar dating has been applied extensively to volcanic units of late Miocene to Pleistocene age in the Middle Awash study area, and is the most important dating method applied to these deposits. ...
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40Ar/39Ar dating has been applied extensively to volcanic units of late Miocene to Pleistocene age in the Middle Awash study area, and is the most important dating method applied to these deposits. This chapter discusses all available 40Ar/39Ar data for the Adu-Asa Formation, including some data not previously reported, plus some previously unpublished results from the nearby Central Awash Complex (CAC). The methods and facilities employed for 40Ar/39Ar dating is divided into two different approaches: incremental heating and single-crystal total fusion.Less
40Ar/39Ar dating has been applied extensively to volcanic units of late Miocene to Pleistocene age in the Middle Awash study area, and is the most important dating method applied to these deposits. This chapter discusses all available 40Ar/39Ar data for the Adu-Asa Formation, including some data not previously reported, plus some previously unpublished results from the nearby Central Awash Complex (CAC). The methods and facilities employed for 40Ar/39Ar dating is divided into two different approaches: incremental heating and single-crystal total fusion.
W. Henry Gilbert (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520251205
- eISBN:
- 9780520933774
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520251205.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book, the first in a series devoted to the paleoanthropological resources of the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia, studies Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens. It provides detailed ...
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This book, the first in a series devoted to the paleoanthropological resources of the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia, studies Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens. It provides detailed descriptions, photographs, and analysis of the fossil vertebrates—from elephants and hyenas to humans—from the Daka Member of the Bouri Formation of the Afar, a place renowned for an abundant and lengthy record of human ancestors. These fossils contribute to our understanding of human evolution, and the associated fauna provide new information about the distribution and variability of Pleistocene mammals in eastern Africa. The contributors are all active researchers who worked on the paleontology and geology of these deposits. Here they have combined their disparate efforts into a single volume, making the original research results accessible to both the specialist and the general reader. The volume synthesizes environmental backdrop and anatomical detail to open an unparalleled window on the African Pleistocene and its inhabitants.Less
This book, the first in a series devoted to the paleoanthropological resources of the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia, studies Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens. It provides detailed descriptions, photographs, and analysis of the fossil vertebrates—from elephants and hyenas to humans—from the Daka Member of the Bouri Formation of the Afar, a place renowned for an abundant and lengthy record of human ancestors. These fossils contribute to our understanding of human evolution, and the associated fauna provide new information about the distribution and variability of Pleistocene mammals in eastern Africa. The contributors are all active researchers who worked on the paleontology and geology of these deposits. Here they have combined their disparate efforts into a single volume, making the original research results accessible to both the specialist and the general reader. The volume synthesizes environmental backdrop and anatomical detail to open an unparalleled window on the African Pleistocene and its inhabitants.
Ioannis X. Giaourtsakis, Cesur Pehlevan, and Yohannes Haile-Selassie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses the Rhinocerotid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene. During the Miocene, fossil rhinoceroses were diverse and widespread in Africa. At least five different lineages ...
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This chapter discusses the Rhinocerotid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene. During the Miocene, fossil rhinoceroses were diverse and widespread in Africa. At least five different lineages (aceratheres, brachypotheres, iranotheres, dicerorhines, and dicerotines), comprising about eight genera and thirteen species, have been documented.Less
This chapter discusses the Rhinocerotid remains in the Middle Awash late Miocene. During the Miocene, fossil rhinoceroses were diverse and widespread in Africa. At least five different lineages (aceratheres, brachypotheres, iranotheres, dicerorhines, and dicerotines), comprising about eight genera and thirteen species, have been documented.
Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Gen Suwa, and Tim White
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254404
- eISBN:
- 9780520942509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254404.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Recent discoveries of hominid remains older than 5 Ma have afforded new perspectives on the origin of the hominid clade. This chapter describes and assesses the key evidence bearing on these ...
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Recent discoveries of hominid remains older than 5 Ma have afforded new perspectives on the origin of the hominid clade. This chapter describes and assesses the key evidence bearing on these issues—the remains of Ardipithecus kadabba from the Middle Awash study area of the Afar Rift. It introduces the major morphological features of the known Ardipithecus kadabba specimens and also infers possible ancestral ape conditions from the morphologies shared by extant great apes and the collective late and middle Miocene fossil ape record.Less
Recent discoveries of hominid remains older than 5 Ma have afforded new perspectives on the origin of the hominid clade. This chapter describes and assesses the key evidence bearing on these issues—the remains of Ardipithecus kadabba from the Middle Awash study area of the Afar Rift. It introduces the major morphological features of the known Ardipithecus kadabba specimens and also infers possible ancestral ape conditions from the morphologies shared by extant great apes and the collective late and middle Miocene fossil ape record.
