A Mid-Pleistocene in situ fossil brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) latrine from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa

Lee R. Berger; Robyn Pickering; Brian Kuhn; Lucinda Backwell; Phillip J. Hancox; Jan D. Kramers; Pedro Boshoff

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004

A Mid-Pleistocene in situ fossil brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) latrine from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa

Lee R. Berger, Robyn Pickering, Brian Kuhn, Lucinda Backwell, Phillip J. Hancox, Jan D. Kramers, Pedro Boshoff

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An in situ fossil latrine is reported from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. The latrine area is c. 1.5 m in observable horizontal length and varies in height with a maximum of 20 cm, indicating that deposition may have occurred over a considerable period of time. The size of individual coprolites in the latrine varies, with larger specimens > 30 mm in diameter, but the majority generally smaller (c. 15-20 mm). The overall size and morphology of the coprolites and latrine are consistent with modern Parahyaena brunnea, which inhabit the caves today. Dated to between 195 and 257 ka, the latrine indicates that troglodytic latrine-making behaviour in P. brunnea may be traced to at least the Late Middle Pleistocene of southern Africa.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	131-136
Number of pages	6
Journal	Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Volume	279
Issue number	3-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004
Publication status	Published - 15 Aug 2009
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Cave sediments
Fossil hyaena latrine
Gladysvale Cave
Parahyaena brunnea
U-Th dating

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Oceanography
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Earth-Surface Processes
Paleontology

Access to Document

10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004

Cite this

@article{b2a476f635634262ad7303a53c77985c,

title = "A Mid-Pleistocene in situ fossil brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) latrine from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa",

abstract = "An in situ fossil latrine is reported from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. The latrine area is c. 1.5 m in observable horizontal length and varies in height with a maximum of 20 cm, indicating that deposition may have occurred over a considerable period of time. The size of individual coprolites in the latrine varies, with larger specimens > 30 mm in diameter, but the majority generally smaller (c. 15-20 mm). The overall size and morphology of the coprolites and latrine are consistent with modern Parahyaena brunnea, which inhabit the caves today. Dated to between 195 and 257 ka, the latrine indicates that troglodytic latrine-making behaviour in P. brunnea may be traced to at least the Late Middle Pleistocene of southern Africa.",

keywords = "Cave sediments, Fossil hyaena latrine, Gladysvale Cave, Parahyaena brunnea, U-Th dating",

author = "Berger, {Lee R.} and Robyn Pickering and Brian Kuhn and Lucinda Backwell and Hancox, {Phillip J.} and Kramers, {Jan D.} and Pedro Boshoff",

year = "2009",

month = aug,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004",

language = "English",

volume = "279",

pages = "131--136",

journal = "Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology",

issn = "0031-0182",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "3-4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Mid-Pleistocene in situ fossil brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) latrine from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa

AU - Berger, Lee R.

AU - Pickering, Robyn

AU - Kuhn, Brian

AU - Backwell, Lucinda

AU - Hancox, Phillip J.

AU - Kramers, Jan D.

AU - Boshoff, Pedro

PY - 2009/8/15

Y1 - 2009/8/15

N2 - An in situ fossil latrine is reported from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. The latrine area is c. 1.5 m in observable horizontal length and varies in height with a maximum of 20 cm, indicating that deposition may have occurred over a considerable period of time. The size of individual coprolites in the latrine varies, with larger specimens > 30 mm in diameter, but the majority generally smaller (c. 15-20 mm). The overall size and morphology of the coprolites and latrine are consistent with modern Parahyaena brunnea, which inhabit the caves today. Dated to between 195 and 257 ka, the latrine indicates that troglodytic latrine-making behaviour in P. brunnea may be traced to at least the Late Middle Pleistocene of southern Africa.

AB - An in situ fossil latrine is reported from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. The latrine area is c. 1.5 m in observable horizontal length and varies in height with a maximum of 20 cm, indicating that deposition may have occurred over a considerable period of time. The size of individual coprolites in the latrine varies, with larger specimens > 30 mm in diameter, but the majority generally smaller (c. 15-20 mm). The overall size and morphology of the coprolites and latrine are consistent with modern Parahyaena brunnea, which inhabit the caves today. Dated to between 195 and 257 ka, the latrine indicates that troglodytic latrine-making behaviour in P. brunnea may be traced to at least the Late Middle Pleistocene of southern Africa.

KW - Cave sediments

KW - Fossil hyaena latrine

KW - Gladysvale Cave

KW - Parahyaena brunnea

KW - U-Th dating

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67649343916&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004

DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.05.004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:67649343916

SN - 0031-0182

VL - 279

SP - 131

EP - 136

JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

IS - 3-4

ER -

A Mid-Pleistocene in situ fossil brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) latrine from Gladysvale Cave, South Africa

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this