Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana Volumen 69, núm. 3, 2017, p. 591 ‒ 609

Aspectos paleobiológicos de dos ejemplares de Mammuthus columbi (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Elephantidae) del Pleistoceno de Puebla, centro de México

Gerardo Carbot-Chanona^1,*, Zaid Lagunas-Rodríguez², Francisco Javier Jiménez-Moreno, Sergio Suárez²

Gerardo Carbot-Chanona

¹ Museo de Paleontología “Eliseo Palacios Aguilera”. Calzada de Los Hombres Ilustres s/n, Antiguo Parque Madero, C.P. 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas.
² Centro INAH-Puebla, Avenida Ejércitos de Oriente s/n, Centro Cívico 5 de mayo, Los Fuertes, C.P. 72270, Puebla, Puebla.
³ Posgrado en Ciencias Ambientales, Edif 103 D (planta baja), Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, C.P. 72570, Puebla, México.

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Abstract

Two specimens of Mammuthus columbi from two Pleistocene localities in the central-eastern of Puebla are formally described (CRINAH-2274 and CRINAH-2275), based on cranial, appendicular elements and isolated molar, and some paleobiological aspects are discussed. The specific assignment of the specimens is based mainly on the characteristics of the M3, which exhibit a lamellar frequency of 5 to 7, strongly crenulated enamel with a thickness of 1.5 to 3.8 mm and has 20 to 22 plates. The age of both individuals was estimated; the CRINAH-2274 specimen has 34 AEY, while the estimated age for CRINAH-2275 was 37 to 41 AEY. Only the sex of CRINAH-2274 could be established, which is a male. Lastly, mesowear angle analysis was carried out to characterize the diet and habitat; this method is used for the firts time in Mexico. Our results show that both specimens were strictly grazers (> 130°) with a diet based mainly on grasses. This suggests the existence of open habitats in the central-eastern region of Puebla in the Pleistocene.

Keywords: Mamooths, paleobiology, mesowear angle, habitat preference, Puebla.