Record of a juvenile of Ahytherium aureum from the Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian Intertropical Region: radiocarbon dating, isotopic palaeoecology and evidence of predation by a Felidae

• Published in: Journal of quaternary science
• Main Authors: Costa, João Paulo da, de Araújo‐Júnior, Hermínio Ismael, Barbosa, Fernando Henrique de Souza, Dantas, Mário André Trindade
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 27.07.2023
• ISSN: 0267-8179; 1099-1417
• DOI: 10.1002/jqs.3556

Abstract Teeth and bone remains belonging to the juvenile Megalonychidae family were found in Engrunado cave (Nova Redenção, Bahia, Brazil). We propose an index between the mesiodistal/vestibulo‐lingual measurements of caniniforms and molariforms ( I md / vl ) to differentiate isolated teeth of Ahytherium aureum and Australonyx aquae , and based on this index, we suggest that the fossil material belonged to A. aureum . The diaphysis of the right humerus of A. aureum presents biogenic marks assigned to the ichnospecies Nihilichnus nihilicus , suggesting dietary interactions and potential predation by a large felid. Radiocarbon dating and carbon and oxygen isotopic analyses suggest that this individual lived in the region between 36 181 and 41 094 Cal yr  bp , feeding on C 3 plant resources (fruit and leaves) in a low‐density forest. The revision of radiocarbon dating and carbon and oxygen isotopes for some species found in the Engrunado cave and in the nearby Marota cave enables a climate reconstruction and indicates the maintenance of a forested environment in the region between 15 and 40 kyr.