New study reveals competition and replacement between two miocene shovel-tuskers
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 10:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Dr. Wang Shiqi from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues recently studied two relatively primitive species of Protanancus, Protanancus tobieni and Protanancus brevirostris. The former discovered from Tongxin of Ningxia Province and Qin'an of Gansu Province, about 16 000 000 years ago and the latter from Guanghe of Gansu Province, about 18 000 000 years ago. This study published online in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reveals the intensive competition between Protanancus and Platybelodon based on similarities in their mandibular morphologies and dental microwear patterns, with the former genus disappearing from East Asia by the late middle Miocene.