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The systematic position of Equus hydruntinus, an extinct species of Pleistocene equid☆ |
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| Authors: | Ariane Burke Vera EisenmannGraeme K Ambler |
| Institution: | a Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 5V5, Canada b UMR 8569 et ESA 8045 du CNRS, Laboratoire de Paléontologie, 8 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France c School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TW, UK |
| Abstract: | Palaeolithic people commonly hunted Equus hydruntinus, an extinct species of equid whose cursorial body proportions suggest an adaptation to semi-arid conditions. Despite the frequency with which it is encountered in fossil deposits, only partial cranial remains have been reported until now. As a result, the systematic affiliation of the species remains a subject of controversy. Two nearly complete E. hydruntinus crania are presented here for the first time. These skulls show that E. hydruntinus is a distinct species, more closely related to the hemiones (Asiatic asses) than to any other equid. This suggests that the social organisation of E. hydruntinus followed one of two known equid sociotypes: resource defense territoriality. |
| Keywords: | Equid Systematics E hydruntinus Ethology Palaeolithic Hunting |
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