Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited

Autores
Melchor, Ricardo Nestor; Perez, Mariano; Cardonatto, María Cristina; Umazano, Aldo Martin
Año de publicación
2015
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Fossil footprints of ground sloths are mostly restricted to the late Miocene to Pleistocene of South America. This study is focused on the oldest known ground sloth trackways, Megatherichnum oportoi Casamiquela, 1974 from the late Miocene Río Negro Formation of northern Patagonia. The section logged at the study site, near Carmen de Patagones (Buenos Aires province), includes the uppermost part of the middle member (marine) and the upper member (aeolian) of the Río Negro Formation. Identified sedimentary facies can be grouped into four facies associations: tidal flat, aeolian dune, dry/damp interdune and wet interdune (shallow lacustrine). M. oportoi trackways are preserved in an upper intertidal mixed flat. Associated trace fossils belong to a wet aeolian system developed close to the sea coast and were mostly preserved in interdune facies. These include Poaceae root and stem traces and Nagtuichnus meuleni (Chlamyphorinae burrow) in dry interdune facies, indeterminate tetrapod footprints in damp interdune facies, Lockeia siliquaria and chevron-like trace fossils (bivalve resting and horizontal locomotion traces) in wet interdune facies (shallow lakes), and Palaeophycus tubularis in aeolian dune facies. The most likely trackmaker of M. oportoi is Pyramiodontherium sp. (Megatheriinae), recorded from the same stratigraphic unit at Chubut province, with a body mass ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 t. M. oportoi is interpreted as a quadrupedal trackway of a late Miocene ground sloth without overlap of the pes on the manus. The previously proposed bipedal interpretation for the trackway requires angles of gait in excess of those permitted for such a large and heavy animal. Pleistocene ground sloth trackways are distinctive because of the much smaller size of the fore footprint. For the latter examples, a quadrupedal locomotion with overlap of the pes on the manus may be applied.
Fil: Melchor, Ricardo Nestor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
Fil: Perez, Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
Fil: Cardonatto, María Cristina. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina
Fil: Umazano, Aldo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
Materia
Ground Sloth
Quadrupedal Trackway
Tidal Flat
Coastal Dunes
Megatheriinae
Pyramiodontherium
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/19252
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/19252
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisitedMelchor, Ricardo NestorPerez, MarianoCardonatto, María CristinaUmazano, Aldo MartinGround SlothQuadrupedal TrackwayTidal FlatCoastal DunesMegatheriinaePyramiodontheriumhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Fossil footprints of ground sloths are mostly restricted to the late Miocene to Pleistocene of South America. This study is focused on the oldest known ground sloth trackways, Megatherichnum oportoi Casamiquela, 1974 from the late Miocene Río Negro Formation of northern Patagonia. The section logged at the study site, near Carmen de Patagones (Buenos Aires province), includes the uppermost part of the middle member (marine) and the upper member (aeolian) of the Río Negro Formation. Identified sedimentary facies can be grouped into four facies associations: tidal flat, aeolian dune, dry/damp interdune and wet interdune (shallow lacustrine). M. oportoi trackways are preserved in an upper intertidal mixed flat. Associated trace fossils belong to a wet aeolian system developed close to the sea coast and were mostly preserved in interdune facies. These include Poaceae root and stem traces and Nagtuichnus meuleni (Chlamyphorinae burrow) in dry interdune facies, indeterminate tetrapod footprints in damp interdune facies, Lockeia siliquaria and chevron-like trace fossils (bivalve resting and horizontal locomotion traces) in wet interdune facies (shallow lakes), and Palaeophycus tubularis in aeolian dune facies. The most likely trackmaker of M. oportoi is Pyramiodontherium sp. (Megatheriinae), recorded from the same stratigraphic unit at Chubut province, with a body mass ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 t. M. oportoi is interpreted as a quadrupedal trackway of a late Miocene ground sloth without overlap of the pes on the manus. The previously proposed bipedal interpretation for the trackway requires angles of gait in excess of those permitted for such a large and heavy animal. Pleistocene ground sloth trackways are distinctive because of the much smaller size of the fore footprint. For the latter examples, a quadrupedal locomotion with overlap of the pes on the manus may be applied.Fil: Melchor, Ricardo Nestor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; ArgentinaFil: Cardonatto, María Cristina. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Umazano, Aldo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; ArgentinaElsevier Science2015-12info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/19252Melchor, Ricardo Nestor; Perez, Mariano; Cardonatto, María Cristina; Umazano, Aldo Martin; Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited; Elsevier Science; Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology; 439; 12-2015; 123-1460031-0182CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.02.010info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018215000590?via%3Dihubinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-10-15T15:45:31Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/19252instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-10-15 15:45:31.983CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
title Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
spellingShingle Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
Melchor, Ricardo Nestor
Ground Sloth
Quadrupedal Trackway
Tidal Flat
Coastal Dunes
Megatheriinae
Pyramiodontherium
title_short Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
title_full Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
title_fullStr Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
title_full_unstemmed Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
title_sort Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Melchor, Ricardo Nestor
Perez, Mariano
Cardonatto, María Cristina
Umazano, Aldo Martin
author Melchor, Ricardo Nestor
author_facet Melchor, Ricardo Nestor
Perez, Mariano
Cardonatto, María Cristina
Umazano, Aldo Martin
author_role author
author2 Perez, Mariano
Cardonatto, María Cristina
Umazano, Aldo Martin
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ground Sloth
Quadrupedal Trackway
Tidal Flat
Coastal Dunes
Megatheriinae
Pyramiodontherium
topic Ground Sloth
Quadrupedal Trackway
Tidal Flat
Coastal Dunes
Megatheriinae
Pyramiodontherium
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Fossil footprints of ground sloths are mostly restricted to the late Miocene to Pleistocene of South America. This study is focused on the oldest known ground sloth trackways, Megatherichnum oportoi Casamiquela, 1974 from the late Miocene Río Negro Formation of northern Patagonia. The section logged at the study site, near Carmen de Patagones (Buenos Aires province), includes the uppermost part of the middle member (marine) and the upper member (aeolian) of the Río Negro Formation. Identified sedimentary facies can be grouped into four facies associations: tidal flat, aeolian dune, dry/damp interdune and wet interdune (shallow lacustrine). M. oportoi trackways are preserved in an upper intertidal mixed flat. Associated trace fossils belong to a wet aeolian system developed close to the sea coast and were mostly preserved in interdune facies. These include Poaceae root and stem traces and Nagtuichnus meuleni (Chlamyphorinae burrow) in dry interdune facies, indeterminate tetrapod footprints in damp interdune facies, Lockeia siliquaria and chevron-like trace fossils (bivalve resting and horizontal locomotion traces) in wet interdune facies (shallow lakes), and Palaeophycus tubularis in aeolian dune facies. The most likely trackmaker of M. oportoi is Pyramiodontherium sp. (Megatheriinae), recorded from the same stratigraphic unit at Chubut province, with a body mass ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 t. M. oportoi is interpreted as a quadrupedal trackway of a late Miocene ground sloth without overlap of the pes on the manus. The previously proposed bipedal interpretation for the trackway requires angles of gait in excess of those permitted for such a large and heavy animal. Pleistocene ground sloth trackways are distinctive because of the much smaller size of the fore footprint. For the latter examples, a quadrupedal locomotion with overlap of the pes on the manus may be applied.
Fil: Melchor, Ricardo Nestor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
Fil: Perez, Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
Fil: Cardonatto, María Cristina. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina
Fil: Umazano, Aldo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina
description Fossil footprints of ground sloths are mostly restricted to the late Miocene to Pleistocene of South America. This study is focused on the oldest known ground sloth trackways, Megatherichnum oportoi Casamiquela, 1974 from the late Miocene Río Negro Formation of northern Patagonia. The section logged at the study site, near Carmen de Patagones (Buenos Aires province), includes the uppermost part of the middle member (marine) and the upper member (aeolian) of the Río Negro Formation. Identified sedimentary facies can be grouped into four facies associations: tidal flat, aeolian dune, dry/damp interdune and wet interdune (shallow lacustrine). M. oportoi trackways are preserved in an upper intertidal mixed flat. Associated trace fossils belong to a wet aeolian system developed close to the sea coast and were mostly preserved in interdune facies. These include Poaceae root and stem traces and Nagtuichnus meuleni (Chlamyphorinae burrow) in dry interdune facies, indeterminate tetrapod footprints in damp interdune facies, Lockeia siliquaria and chevron-like trace fossils (bivalve resting and horizontal locomotion traces) in wet interdune facies (shallow lakes), and Palaeophycus tubularis in aeolian dune facies. The most likely trackmaker of M. oportoi is Pyramiodontherium sp. (Megatheriinae), recorded from the same stratigraphic unit at Chubut province, with a body mass ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 t. M. oportoi is interpreted as a quadrupedal trackway of a late Miocene ground sloth without overlap of the pes on the manus. The previously proposed bipedal interpretation for the trackway requires angles of gait in excess of those permitted for such a large and heavy animal. Pleistocene ground sloth trackways are distinctive because of the much smaller size of the fore footprint. For the latter examples, a quadrupedal locomotion with overlap of the pes on the manus may be applied.
publishDate 2015
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2015-12
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/19252
Melchor, Ricardo Nestor; Perez, Mariano; Cardonatto, María Cristina; Umazano, Aldo Martin; Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited; Elsevier Science; Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology; 439; 12-2015; 123-146
0031-0182
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/19252
identifier_str_mv Melchor, Ricardo Nestor; Perez, Mariano; Cardonatto, María Cristina; Umazano, Aldo Martin; Late Miocene ground sloth footprints and their paleoenvironment: Megatherichnum oportoi revisited; Elsevier Science; Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology; 439; 12-2015; 123-146
0031-0182
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.02.010
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018215000590?via%3Dihub
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier Science
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier Science
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.22299

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