Publication details
Middle Miocene mammals from the Czujan’s sand-pit (Mikulov, Czech Republic)
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Czujan’s sand-pit (2 km east of Mikulov, Czech Republic) represents a unique locality with a Middle Miocene mammalian assemblage. Although Czujan’s sand-pit is mentioned only occasionally in published sources, it is the type locality of Tethytragus stehlini (THENIUS, 1951) described on the basis of fragmentary horns (Thenius 1951, Azanza & Morales 1994). The remaining fossil mammalian was not described in detail with the only exception of proboscidean teeth (Seitl 1985). The stratigraphical age of this locality was last discussed by Čtyroký et al. (1990) who considered it as most likely corresponding to the Upper Badenian substage. Studied material is placed in colections of Anthropos Institute, Moravian Museum in Brno. In total 11 taxa were identified in Czujan’s sand-pit including Proboscidea: Zygolophodon turicensis (SCHINZ, 1824), Gomphotherium angustidens (CUVIER, 1817), Prodeinotherium bavaricum (von MEYER, 1831), Cervidae: Heteroprox larteti (FILHOL, 1890), Bovidae: T. stehlini, Palaeomerycidae indet., Rhinocerotidae: Hoploaceratherium sp. GINSBURG & HEISSIG, 1989, Brachypotherium cf. brachypus (LARTET, 1851), Equidae: Anchitherium sp. (MEYER, 1844), Chalicotheriidae: Anisodon grande (BLAINVILLE, 1849) and Carnivora: Amphicyon cf. major BLAINVILLE, 1841. Czujan’s sand-pit probably represents fluvial deposits of deltaic channel. Biostratigraphic comparisons between the mammalian species corresponds the age of 14,9-13,5 Ma (Middle-Late Badenian; Astaracian, MN 6 Zone - lower part of MN7+8 Zone). Taphonomical study suggests that most of fossil remains includes individuals who died in the immediate vicinity of the sedimentation area. These individuals represent both forest as well as species of open environment. The presented taxa are typical for subtropical climate during the latest part of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. High number of young proboscideans can be explained by climate changes at the end of Miocene Climatic Optimum (Ivanov & Bohme 2011, Domingo et al. 2012), because bone accumulations of young elephants usually indicate deaths during dry seasons (Haynes 1991). |