Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus LUND, 1840 (Equidae, Perissodactyla) at Paso Otero 5 site (Argentina): Its implications for the extinction of the South American horse

摘要

The scarce horse remains from Paso Otero 5 are assigned to Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus and represent a new locality for it in South America. The faunal association of Paso Otero 5 indicate that paleoecological and climatic conditions during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition were arid. The pollen, silicobioliths and stable isotope records also indicate that there was a cold pulse during this period. This site is dated to C-14 AMS ca. 10,400 years BP. The archaeological and palaeontological data in the Pampas region and local evidences of Paso Otero 5 site indicate that a trend toward semiarid or and conditions prevailed during human colonisation at the end of the Late Pleistocene in this area.