Description
Morphometric responses of spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta, Erxleben 1777) to Late Pleistocene environmental changes in BritainJones, A., Carbone, C. and Schreve, D.
Mammals respond to environmental changes in a variety of ways, including changes in morphology, geographic range, and diet. These responses are evident in species present during the fluctuating environmental conditions of the Pleistocene. The spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) is an ideal species in which to study responses to Pleistocene environmental changes, on account of the abundance of remains of both hyaena and of its prey in Pleistocene deposits.The last detailed comparison of spotted hyaenas from the Ipswichian interglacial and the Devensian glaciation was conducted over 30 years ago, by Turner (1981). However, in view of the major improvements in our understanding of the chronology of Late Pleistocene mammalian assemblages in Britain, and in particular the attribution (underpinned by absolute dating) of assemblages to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) and sub-stages (Currant and Jacobi, 2011), there is now cause for a reanalysis of hyaena material. The initial morphometric results of spotted hyaenas from British deposits attributed to MIS 5e, 5c and 3 are presented here in order to assess whether their body size and proportions changed in response to Late Pleistocene environmental changes.
Currant, A.P. and Jacobi, R. (2011) ‘The mammal faunas of the British Late Pleistocene’, in Ashton, N., Lewis, S. and Stringer, C. (eds) The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp.165-180.
Turner, A. (1981) Aspects of palaeoecology of large predators, including man, during the British Upper Pleistocene, with particular emphasis on predator-prey relationships. PhD thesis. University of Sheffield.
Poster presentation
| Period | 6 Jan 2016 → 8 Jan 2016 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | London, United KingdomShow on map |