Holocene Small Mammal Remains from Northeastern Brazil

Holocene mammal remains from Gruta do Urso Fóssil in Ceará, Brazil, include 19 species across Didelphimorphia, Rodentia, and Chiroptera orders. The specimens were excavated from nine 10 cm layers dated to between 7000 and 8450 years BP. This collection of isolated teeth and fragmented bones provides a record for paleoenvironmental studies of the early Holocene.

Use Cases

• Analyze the species composition of Didelphimorphia, Rodentia, and Chiroptera to infer early Holocene environmental conditions in northeastern Brazil.
• Compare the identified genera, such as Didelphis, Kerodon, and Artibeus, with their modern distributions to study biodiversity dynamics over 7000+ years.
• Use the stratigraphic data from nine artificial excavation layers to examine temporal changes in small mammal assemblages.
• Investigate the paleoecological implications of the mammal assemblage, which suggests wet conditions similar to the present 'Brejo de Altitude'.

Strengths

• The dataset is temporally anchored by thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence dating, providing a specific time interval of 7000 to 8450 years BP.
• It documents a detailed taxonomic list of 19 species from three mammalian orders, offering a specific biodiversity snapshot.
• Specimens were systematically retrieved from nine defined artificial layers of 10 cm each during subsurface excavation.

Limitations

• The dataset is small in scale at 2.0 MB, likely containing descriptive text rather than a large, structured data table.
• Data consists of isolated teeth and fragmented bones, which may limit morphological analyses and precise taxonomic identification for some specimens.
• The geographic scope is restricted to a single cave site (Gruta do Urso Fóssil) in one state of Brazil, limiting broader regional inferences.

Provenance

Source

Paulo Victor de Oliveira via figshare

Collection Method

Subsurface excavation at Gruta do Urso Fóssil, with specimens retrieved from nine artificial layers of 10 cm each.

Time Range

7000 ± 1,000 to 8450 ± 960 years BP (early Holocene)

Freshness

null

Geography

Gruta do Urso Fóssil, Parque Nacional de Ubajara, State of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil