Archive for Earth Sciences Forum This site is dedicated to the Earth Sciences. We are here for you to discuss issues regarding any aspect of the Earth sciences, at all levels of knowledge. Questions are welcomed, as are open scientific debates. Enjoy!!!
|
NileQueen
|
Sloths of the CaribbeanSloths of the Caribbean
Now extinct, they lived later than the mainland species (there were several types of those, many giant)
http://www.caribjsci.org/
See June 2007 issue here
http://caribjsci.org/pdf/43_tocv43n1.pdf
I got an error message the first couple times I tried this link but it finally worked.
Here is the url for the article
http://caribjsci.org/June07/43_94-98.pdf
June 2007
| Quote: |
Prehistoric Sloth Extinctions in Cuba: Implications of a New “Last”
Appearance Date
R. D. E. MACPHEE,1* M. A. ITURRALDE-VINENT,2 AND
OSVALDO JIMÉNEZ VÁZQUEZ3
1Division of Vertebrate Zoology/Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York NY 10024 USA
]2Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Obispo 61, Plaza de Armas, La Habana 10100 Cuba
3Gabinete de Arquelogía, Oficina del Historiador, La Habana 10100 Cuba
*Corresponding author: macphee@amnh.org
ABSTRACT.—We report the youngest radiocarbon determination so far for an identified species of Antillean
sloth, 4190 ± 40 yr BP, based on a molariform of Megalocnus rodens from the locality of Solapa de Silex,
Lomas de Cacahual, prov. La Habana, Cuba. Together with other recently reported age estimates, the evidence
is now secure that at least some Antillean sloth species survived until ca. 4200 yr BP, or approximately
1000 yr later than the first plausible evidence for the presence of humans in the Greater Antilles. The survival
of relatively large terrestrial mammals for such a lengthy period after the arrival of Homo sapiens indicates
that insular extinctions in the Late Quaternary did not always occur in a “blitzkrieg” manner.
|
|
|
|
|