Náttúrufræðingurinn - 2000, Blaðsíða 31

Evolution, as illustrated by the fossil record
(ritstj. A. Hallam). Volume 5, Developments
in Palaeontology and stratigraphy. New York.
Kurtén, B. 1968. Pleistocene Mammals of Eu-
rope. William Clowes and Sons, Limited. Lon-
don and Beccles.
Kurtén, B. 1971. The Age of Mammals. Útg.
Ebenezer Baylis and Son Limited. The Trinity
Press, Worcester and London.
Kurtén, B. & Anderson, E. 1980. Pleistocene
Mammals of North America. Columbia Uni-
versity Press, New York.
Mestel, R. 1993. Saber-toothed tales. Discover
(Chicago) 14(4). 50-59.
Meulenkamp, J.E., De Mulder & van de Weerd,
A. 1972. Sedimentary History and Paleo-
geography of the Late Cenozoic of the Island
of Rhodos. Z. Deutsch. Geol. Ges. 12. 541-
553.
Rawn- Schatzinger, V. 1992. The scimitar cat
Homotherium serum Cope: osteology, func-
tional morphology, and predatory behavior.
lllinois State Museum, Report of Investiga-
tions 47. 1-118.
Sondar, P.Y., De Vos, J. & Dermitzakis, M.D.
1986. Late Cenozoic Faunal Evolution and
Palaeogeography of the South Aegean Island
Arc. Modern Geology 10. 249-259.
Stanley, S.M. 1989. Earth and Life through
Tinte. Second edition. W.H. Freeman and
Company, New York.
Thenius, E. 1980. Grundziige der Faunen- und
Verbreitungsgeschichte der Sagertiere. Eine
historische Tiergeographie. 2. völlig neu-
bearbeitete Auflage. VEB Gustav Fischer
Verlag, Jena.
van de Weerd, A., Reumer, J.W.F. & de Vos, J.
1982. Pliocene mammals from Apolakkia For-
mation, Rhodes, Greece. Proceedings of the
Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van
Wetenschappen, Series B: Palaeontology, Ge-
ology, Physics and Chemistry 85. 89-1 12.
Wemmer, C. 1978. Social organization and
Saber-Tooth Syndrome in Carnivorous Mam-
mals. Mammalogical Informations 27. 127-
132.
■ SUMMARY
Saber-toothed cats
In the fall 1996, on an expedition from Copenha-
gen University to the Greek island of Rhodes,
the author of this article found a rather large ca-
nine. The canine was found in a riverbed within
rythmic lacustrine sediments in the Apolakkia
formation in the south-western part of Rhodes.
This formation dates back to mid-pliocene times
and is rich in fossile vertebrates, mostly mam-
mals.
The canine presumably originated from the
saber-toothed cat Homotherium crenatidens
which roamed Eurasia in pliocene times. Rhodes
was still connected to Turkey then.
Once before has a sabertoothed cat been found
on Rhodes, namely the miocene species
Machairodus aphanistus, a forefather of the
Homotherium crenatidens.
The saber-toothed cats were continental carni-
vores, living on large prey, which means that
they probably could not survive on small, iso-
lated islands. Therefore, it is not likely that they
survived in Rhodes after its separation from
Turkey. There is a record of dwarf elephants on
Rhodes after the separation, so possibly the
sabertoothed survived into the pleistocene.
PÓSTFANG HÖFUNDAR/AuTHOr’s ADDRESS
Bjarni Richter
Orkustofnun/NationalEnergy Authority
Geoscience Division
Grensásvegi 9
IS-108 Reykjavík
Netfang/hmail
br@os.is
93