Northernmost record of the Merck's rhinoceros Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jäger) and taxonomic status of Coelodonta jacuticus Russanov (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae)

A lower jaw of Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis from the Mus Khaya locality on the Yana River in Yakutia is described. This jaw was previously designated as a paratype of Coelodonta jacuticus, but morphological and morphometric analysis has shown that it actually belongs to a typical S. kirchbergensis. Morphometric parameters of the holotype (skull) of C. jacuticus fall within the range of intraspecific variation of C. antiquitatis. The same results of a morphometric study were obtained for the subspecies Coelodonta antiquitatis pristinus and C. a. humilis. This suggests that C. jacuticus, Coelodonta antiquitatis pristinus, and C. a. humilis are invalid taxa which should be regarded as junior synonyms of C. antiquitatis. The find of S. kirchbergensis in northern Yakutia is the northernmost occurrence of this species

The steppe elephant Mammuthus trogontherii (Pohlig) from the Irtysh region near Omsk

A Pleistocene elephant skeleton was found in 1989 in the alluvial beds of the Tobolsk age on the Om River near the village of Ust’-Tarka (Ust’-Tarkskii District, Novosibirsk Region). The forelimbs and some thoracic and caudal vertebrae are not preserved. Judging from the heavy wear of M3/m3, this animal was about 50–60 years of individual age. The skeleton is about 3.5 m high at the withers. The geological age of the beds enclosing the skeleton and its morphological features suggest that it should be assigned to Mammuthus trogontherii

The quaternary mammals from Kozhamzhar locality (Pavlodar region, Kazakhstan)

A new locality of fossil mammals near Kozhamzhar in Pavlodar Priirtysh Region has been described. The article provides the description of the quaternary sediments section found in the outcrop near Kozhamzhar. In the Karginian Age (MIS 3) alluvial deposits of the described locality we found the remains of Elasmotherium sibiricum, Mammuthus ex gr. trogontherii-chosaricus, Mammuthus primigenius, Bison sp. AMS Radiocarbon dating of the Elasmotherium skull gave a young age-26038±356 BP (UBA-30522). The skull of Elasmotherium sibiricum exceeds in size the skull of the mammals from Eastern Europe. The lower jaw of the elephant, considering the size and the morphology of the last dentition teeth, is very close to that of Mammuthus trogontherii chosaricus

Патологии метаподий древних копытных

This report describes pathological changes of twelve metapodial bones of ancient large ungulates (Bison priscus, Cervus elaphus, Megaloceros giganteus, Equus ex gr. gallicus) from various sites in West Siberia. Two basic types of deteriorations were observed: proximal epiphyseal deformity resulting from arthrosis, and periosteal proliferations on diaphysis. All of these likely are related to trauma. The most probable causes of the injuries include unsuccessful hunting activity of cave lions and environment-associated sharp or blunt force

Browsers, grazers or mix-feeders? Study of the diet of extinct Pleistocene Eurasian forest rhinoceros Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (J¨ager, 1839) and woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799)

The wooly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and forest rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis) were prominent representatives of the Middle and Late Pleistocene glacial and interglacial faunas of Eurasia. Their diet has traditionally been inferred on functional morphology of the dentition and skull. In rare cases, food remains are preserved in the fossas of the teeth or as gut content. New approaches to infer diet include the study of isotopes and mesowear. Here we apply all four methods to infer the diet of these emblematic rhinoceros’ species and compare the food actually taken with the food available, as indicated by independent botanical data from the localities where the rhinoceros’ fossils were found: Gorz´ow Wielkopolski (Eemian) and Starunia (Middle Vistulian) as well as analysis of literature data. We also made inferences on the season of death of these individuals. Our results indicate that the woolly rhino in both Europe and Asia (Siberia) was mainly a grazer, although at different times of the year and depending on the region its diet was also supplemented by leaves of shrubs and trees. According to the results of isotope studies, there were important individual variations. The data show a clear seasonal variation in the isotope composition of this rhino’s diet. In contrast, Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis was a browser, though its diet included low-growing vegetation. Its habitat consisted of various types of forests, from riparian to deciduous and mixed forests, and open areas. The diet of this species consisted of selected items of vegetation, also including plants growing near both flowing and standing waters. The food remains from the fossae of the teeth indicated flexible browsing, confirming the previous interpretations based on functional morphology and stable isotopes. Long-term data from mesowear and microwear across a wider range of S. kirchbergensis fossils indicate a more mixed diet with a browsing component. The different diets of both of rhinoceros reflect not only the different habitats, but also climate changes that occurred during the Late Pleistocene

Diversity of muskox Ovibos moschatus (Zimmerman, 1780) (Bovidae, Mammalia) in time and space based on cranial morphometry

Muskox Ovibos moschatus is a Pleistocene relic, which has survived only in North America and Greenland. During the Pleistocene, it was widely distributed in Eurasia and North America. To evaluate its morphological variability through time and space, we conducted an extensive morphometric study of 217 Praeovibos and Ovibos skull remains. The analyses showed that the skulls grew progressively wider from Praeovibos sp. to the Pleistocene O. moschatus, while from the Pleistocene to the recent O. moschatus, the facial regions of the skull turned narrower and shorter. We also noticed significant geographic differences between the various Pleistocene Ovibos crania. Siberian skulls were usually larger than those from Western and Central Europe. Eastern Europeanmuskoxen also exceeded in size those from the other regions of Europe. The large size of Late Pleistocene muskoxen from regions located in more continental climatic regimes was probably associated with the presence of more suitable food resources in steppe-tundra settings. Consistently, radiocarbon-dated records of this species are more numerous in colder periods, when the steppe-tundra was widely spread, and less abundant in warmer periods