First report of a South American short-faced bears' den (<i>Arctotherium angustidens</i>): palaeobiological and palaeoecological implications

Here we report the first example of associated short-faced bear fossils from South America. The specimens represent three individuals referable to the Ensenadan (early to middle Pleistocene) species Arctotherium angustidens (Ursidae, Tremarctinae), the giant South American short-faced bear. Although...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Soibelzon, Leopoldo Héctor, Pomi, Lucas Horacio, Tonni, Eduardo Pedro, Rodríguez, Sergio G., Dondas, Alejandro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2009
País:Argentina
Institución:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repositorio:SEDICI (UNLP)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/5364
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/5364
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Paleontología
Ciencias Naturales
short-faced bear
Arctotherium
Tremarctinae
Pleistocene
Descripción
Sumario:Here we report the first example of associated short-faced bear fossils from South America. The specimens represent three individuals referable to the Ensenadan (early to middle Pleistocene) species Arctotherium angustidens (Ursidae, Tremarctinae), the giant South American short-faced bear. Although the fossil record of short-faced bears in South America is very rich, they have not previously been recorded in association. These three individuals were found in a cave during quarry exploitation. We suggest that these bears represent the first record of a family group and open the discussion about cave utilization and hibernation or torpor by South American short-faced bears.