INVESTIGADORES
SANTIAGO Fernando Carlos
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Constraining the time of extinction of the South American fox Dusicyon avus (Carnivora, Canidae) during the late Holocene.
Autor/es:
PREVOSTI FRANCISCO; SANTIAGO FERNANDO; PRATES LUCIANO; SALEMME MÓNICA; MARTIN FABIANA
Reunión:
Congreso; European Geosciences Union. General Assembly 2010; 2010
Institución organizadora:
European Geosciences Union
Resumen:
The mass extinction at the end of the Pleistocene affected South America
during the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene, when megamammals
and large mammals disappeared. Several carnivores became extinct, like
the sabretooth Smilodon, the short face bear (Arctotherium) and some
large canids (i.e. Protocyon, Canis dirus). After this mass event
virtually no carnivores became extinct in South America. The only
exception is the fox Dusicyon avus, a middle sized canid (estimated body
mass between 10-15 kg) with a more carnivore diet than the living
South American foxes (i.e. Lycalopex culpaeus). The last record of the
species comes from middle-late Holocene archaeological sites in the
Pampean Region (Argentina) and Patagonia (Argentina and Chile). During
the Late Pleistocene D. avus had a wide distribution, that covered part
of Uruguay, Argentina (Buenos Aires province) and the southernmost
Chile. Albeit some remains from late Holocene sites have been published, these remains lack of isotopic dates that could (allow?) constraint (to determine) the date of extinction of this fox. In this contributionwe present several new records from the Pampean Region and Patagonia, and several taxon dates. The new records indicate that D. avus disappeared in the late Holocene at least 3000 years BP in the island of Tierra del Fuego(Patagonia) and 1600 BP in the continent. Since at this time humans were occupying most of the Pampas and Patagonia a revision of the causes behind the extinction of this fox is required.