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Bovidae and Giraffidae from the Baynunah Formation

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Sands of Time

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

Study of new and previously discovered remains indicates the presence of at least three giraffid and eight bovid species in the Baynunah Formation. Among giraffids, the most significant new find is a partial skeleton attributed to Palaeotragus aff. germaini. A large sivathere and possibly Samotherium boissieri are also present. Bovids include Pachyportax latidens, Miotragocerus cyrenaicus, Afrotragus libycus, Prostrepsiceros vinayaki, and two indeterminate small species. Separation of postcranial material into broad size categories reveals an additional giraffid and two bovid species not represented by cranial remains. Though small in number, the Baynunah bovid and giraffid assemblage is as rich in species as late Miocene sites at Lothagam or in the Siwaliks. All identified genera and species are otherwise known from eastern Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, or southern Asia. The richness of the community, combined with the lack of any obvious endemics, suggests that large mammal assembly in the Baynunah Formation may have relied in large part on dispersals from nearby regions following the appearance of humid conditions over the Arabian Peninsula. Such a pattern of climatically-induced local extirpation followed by re-establishment might have characterized much of Arabia’s late Neogene history, continuing into the Pleistocene and the present day.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (formerly TCA, formerly ADACH), the Abu Dhabi Public Works Department (no longer existing), and the US National Science Foundation (grants OISE-0852975 to FB, Revealing Hominin Origins Initiative 0321893 to T. White and F. C. Howell). I thank B. Kraatz for editorial work, and A. Gentry, D. Geraads, and D. Kostopoulos for reviews that greatly improved this manuscript.

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  1. Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Faysal Bibi

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  1. Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany

    Faysal Bibi

  2. Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA

    Brian Kraatz

  3. Historic Environment Department, Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Mark J. Beech

  4. Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Andrew Hill

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Bibi, F. (2022). Bovidae and Giraffidae from the Baynunah Formation. In: Bibi, F., Kraatz, B., Beech, M.J., Hill, A. (eds) Sands of Time. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_14

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