Náttúrufræðingurinn

Volume

Náttúrufræðingurinn - 2000, Page 31

Náttúrufræðingurinn - 2000, Page 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

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