FAUNAL AGGREGATION IN THE EARLY TRIASSIC KAROO BASIN: EARLIEST EVIDENCE OF SHELTER-SHARING BEHAVIOR AMONG TETRAPODS?
2006; Society for Sedimentary Geology; Volume: 21; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2110/palo.2005.p06-001r
ISSN1938-5323
AutoresFernando Abdala, Juan Carlos Cisneros, Roger M. H. Smith,
Tópico(s)Ichthyology and Marine Biology
ResumoThe first report of a multitaxon aggregation from the Early Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone is presented here. The aggregation includes two vertebrates—the suricate-sized cynodont Galesaurus planiceps and a gecko-like procolophonoid Owenetta kitchingorum—and a diplopod millipede. The high degree of articulation of the skeletal remains and the preservation of delicate bones in situ suggest that the animals were either rapidly buried or died in a place protected from weathering and agents of dispersal. Two hypotheses are possible to explain this multitaxon aggregation: trapping in a floodplain gully followed by immediate burial or shelter-sharing. The latter hypothesis is favored after the analysis of the fossil evidence recorded in the South African Karoo Basin.
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