A New Xerinae (Rodentia, Sciuridae) from the Late Miocene of Toros-Menalla (Chad)

Toumaï (Sahelanthropus tchadensis) is, to date, the oldest known hominine. Approximately 7 million years ago, it lived close to the northern shoreline of the paleo Lake Chad, which extended at that time 500 km north of its present location. Here, we describe a new xerine squirrel, Sabara oralacus, g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of vertebrate paleontology Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 844 - 848
Main Authors Viriot, Laurent, Pelaez-Campomanes, Pablo, Vignaud, Patrick, Andossa, Likius, MacKaye, Hassan Taïsso, Brunet, Michel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 01.07.2011
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
Biodiversity
Cheek
Dentition
Earth Sciences
Fossils
Life Sciences
Mammals
Mandible
Paleontology
Rodents
Sciences of the Universe
Skull
Squirrels
Teeth
Vertebrates
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Summary:Toumaï (Sahelanthropus tchadensis) is, to date, the oldest known hominine. Approximately 7 million years ago, it lived close to the northern shoreline of the paleo Lake Chad, which extended at that time 500 km north of its present location. Here, we describe a new xerine squirrel, Sabara oralacus, gen. et sp. nov., discovered near the site where Toumaï was unearthed. Study of associated fauna is essential to evaluate correctly the precise paleoenvironmental affinities of the first African hominines. The new squirrel displays a mosaic of dental and skull characters characterizing either the tribe Xerini or Protoxerini, which makes its taxonomic assignment at the tribe level difficult. From craniodental characters, we hypothesize that S. oralacus was a ground-dweller, digging burrows, probably with an ecological preference for forest to savannah environments associated with hard fruit-bearing trees.
ISSN:0272-4634
1937-2809
DOI:10.1080/02724634.2011.581048