Crocuta dietrichi from Meob, Namibia: implications for the age of the Tsondab Sandstone in the coastal part of the Namib Desert
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/egeol.40463.184Keywords:
Hyaenidae, Crocuta, Pliocene, Meob, Namib Desert, NamibiaAbstract
Palaeontological field work in the Namib Sand Sea, east of Meob, Namibia, has led to the discovery of the lower dentition of an Early Pliocene hyaenid. The same aeolianite series contains abundant carnivore footprints and coprolites compatible in size with the dental remains. The closest match for the teeth is with the extinct species Crocuta dietrichi, the type locality of which is the Upper Laetoli Beds, Tanzania, ca 3.5-3.8 Ma. Elsewhere the species is reported to range in age from ca 4.4 to 1.9 Ma. The primitive aspect of the teeth and their diminutive dimensions suggest that the fossils are closer in age to 4 Ma than to 2 Ma. This discovery provides the first evidence concerning the age of the Tsondab aeolianites in the Meob sector of the Namib Desert.
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