Bison schoetensacki
Bison schoetensacki, known as the Pleistocene woodland bison or the Pleistocene wood bison, is an extinct species of bison that lived until Middle or Upper Pleistocene among western Europe to southern Siberia.
| Bison schoetensacki Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bison schoetensacki skull at State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Bison |
| Species: | †B. schoetensacki |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bison schoetensacki Freudenberg, 1910 | |
Taxonomy
Due to the lack of genome data, B. schoetensacki's position within the bison clade was uncertain until recently.
Along with Steppe bison (B. priscus), this species was once considered as the direct ancestor of the extant European bison (B. bonasus).[1]
Also, fossil ranges of B. schoetensacki and B. priscus overlap such as at Chatillon-Saint-Jean, Mosbach, and Mauer. Additionally, all of B. bonasus, American bisons (B. bison), and B. priscus are noted with sexual dimorphism. Therefore B. schoetensacki was also hypothesized as the female of B. priscus.[2]
A new analysis published in 2017, however, indicates that B. schoetensacki was indeed a sister species to European bison and a potential ancestor. Also, the lineage of steppe bison to be the direct ancestor of European bison was rejected.[3]
Description
B. schoetensacki was generally similar to extant European bison in shape.
In comparison to B. priscus, B. schoetensacki was, either smaller or similar in size but with slenderer leg bones and metapodials, and had shorter and differently shaped horns. [1]
Paleobiology
Numbers of fossils have been obtained among Czech, French, Germany, Greece, and Italy while remains of European bisons are absent from Italian and Iberian Peninsulas.
Mass excavations from the paleolithic site, dating back to around 700,000 years ago, in Isernia in Italy indicate B. schoetensacki was the most heavily targeted animal by human hunters.[4]
Pleistocene woodland bison and steppe bison seemingly shared some of habitats.
Despite the common name, B. schoetensacki was probably not a mix-feeder compared to extant wood bison. Instead, dental mesowear of the species shows similar pattern to that of extant European bison, a grazer, indicating that B. schoetensacki preferred more open habitats than dense forest.[5]
See also
References
- Marsolier-Kergoat, Marie Claude; Elalouf, Jean-Marc (2017). "The Descent of Bison". In Pontarotti, Pierre (ed.). Evolutionary Biology: Self/Nonself Evolution, Species and Complex Traits Evolution, Methods and Concepts. Springer. pp. 187–198. ISBN 978-3-319-61569-1.
- Drees, Marc (June 2005). "Sexual dimorphism in PleistoceneBison priscus (Mammalia, Bovidae) with a discussion on the position of Bison schoetensacki". Senckenbergiana Lethaea. 85 (1): 153–157. doi:10.1007/BF03043424.
- Palacio, Pauline; Berthonaud, Véronique; Guérin, Claude; Lambourdière, Josie; Maksud, Frédéric; Philippe, Michel; Plaire, Delphine; Stafford, Thomas; Marsolier-Kergoat, Marie-Claude; Elalouf, Jean-Marc (10 February 2017). "Genome data on the extinct Bison schoetensacki establish it as a sister species of the extant European bison (Bison bonasus)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (1): 48. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0894-2. PMC 5303235. PMID 28187706.
- Thun Hohenstein, Ursula; Di Nucci, Annarosa; Moigne, Anne-Marie (January 2009). "Mode de vie à Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italie). Stratégie d'exploitation du Bison schoetensacki par les groupes humains au Paléolithique inférieur" [Subsistence strategies at Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italie). Exploitation of Bison schoetensacki in the Lower Palaeolithic]. L'Anthropologie (in French). 113 (1): 96–110. doi:10.1016/j.anthro.2009.01.009.
- van Asperen, Eline N.; Kahlke, Ralf-Dietrich (December 2017). "Dietary traits of the late Early Pleistocene Bison menneri (Bovidae, Mammalia) from its type site Untermassfeld (Central Germany) and the problem of Pleistocene 'wood bison'" (PDF). Quaternary Science Reviews. 177: 299–313. Bibcode:2017QSRv..177..299V. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.10.002.