Dursunlu: Early/Lower Pleistocene, Turkey

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Elliobus anatolicus
Vulpinae indet.
Amphibia
Amphibia indet. Linnaeus 1758
Reptilia - Testudines
Chelonia indet. (Latreille 1800)
synonym of Testudines
Mammalia - Insectivora
Insectivora indet. Bowdich 1821
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus cf. trogontherii (Pohlig 1885)
25 specimens
2 complete molars (1 upper, 1 lower) plus eight molar fragments, 1 tusk fragment and 1 rib, 1 metacarpal, 2 partial metapodia, 8 carpals/tarsals, two phalanges.
Mammalia - Carnivora
Carnivora indet. Bowdich 1821
69 specimens
9 mandible fragments, 5+ teeth fragments, 6 scaula parts, 2 metacarpals, 1 femur, 1 tibia, 1+ tarsals, 2 metatarsals, 1+ astragali, 13 partial phalanges, 27 metapodial parts, all mostly representative of smaller species.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus sp. Linnaeus 1758
1 specimen
1 phalanx.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Lutra sp. Brisson 1762
9 specimens
1 mandible, 3 upper and 2 lower teeth, 2 humerii and 1 astragalus, plus other unstudied specimens.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758
Canis lupus aff. mosbachensis. 9 specimens identified in the paper as Canis, but not to species. These include 3 upper teeth, 1 ulna, 1 metacarpal, 1 femur and 3 calcanea.
Canis aff. aureus Linnaeus 1758
9 specimens identified in the paper as Canis, but not to species. These include 3 upper teeth, 1 ulna, 1 metacarpal, 1 femur and 3 calcanea.
Vulpes praecorsac Kormos 1932
1 specimen
1 molar.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaenidae indet. Gray 1821
4 specimens
2 teeth, 1 partial ulna, 1 phalanx, plus coprolites.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Felinae indet. Trouessart 1885
small. 24 felid specimens listed in the paper, but not to species. 4 upper and 6 lower teeth, 1 scapula, 1 radius, 5 femoral parts, 1 tibia, 4 metatarsals, 1 astragalus and 1 calcaneum.
Panthera aff. pardus (Linnaeus 1758)
24 felid specimens listed in the paper, but not to species. 4 upper and 6 lower teeth, 1 scapula, 1 radius, 5 femoral parts, 1 tibia, 4 metatarsals, 1 astragalus and 1 calcaneum.
Felis ex gr. caracal Schreber 1776
recombined as Caracal caracal
24 felid specimens listed in the paper, but not to species. 4 upper and 6 lower teeth, 1 scapula, 1 radius, 5 femoral parts, 1 tibia, 4 metatarsals, 1 astragalus and 1 calcaneum.
Felis (Lynx) aff. issiodorensis Croizet and Jobert 1828
24 felid specimens listed in the paper, but not to species. 4 upper and 6 lower teeth, 1 scapula, 1 radius, 5 femoral parts, 1 tibia, 4 metatarsals, 1 astragalus and 1 calcaneum.
    = Lynx aff. issiodorensis Croizet and Jobert 1828
O'Regan 2003
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus altidens
1 set of upper and lower molars. Also, 226 other specimens only identified in the paper as Equus - may be altidens or caballus.
Equus caballus Linnaeus 1758
Equus caballus mosbachensis. Also, 226 other specimens only identified in the paper as Equus - may be altidens or caballus.
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821
11 specimens
5 cheek teeth, 1 lower premolar and molar, 1 partial maxilla, 1 carpal, 1 cuboid and 1 3rd metatarsal.
Mammalia - Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamidae indet. Gray 1821
7 specimens
2 partial canines and 5 partial cheek teeth.
Mammalia - Suidae
Sus scrofa Linnaeus 1758
5 specimens
5 cranio-dental parts, including 4 teeth.
    = Sus cf. strozzi
Gulec et al. 1999
5 cranio-dental parts, including 4 teeth.
Mammalia - Cervidae
Megaloceros sp. n. sp. Brookes 1828
28 specimens
7 antler fragments, 7 upper and lower cheek teeth, 1 metacarpal, 3 astragali, 5 naviculars, 4 partial metatarsals and a phalanx.
Cervus ex gr. elephas
12 specimens
2 antler fragments, 3 teeth, 1 forelimb and 1 hindlimb (tbia, astragalus, metatarsal and phalanges)
aff. Dama sp. Frisch 1775
1 specimen
1 distal tibia.
Mammalia - Giraffidae
? Giraffa sp. Brisson 1762
1 specimen
1 distal metacarpal.
Mammalia - Bovidae
aff. Gazella sp. Blaineville 1816
5 specimens
1 metacarpal, 2 partial tibiae, 1 astragalus, 1 partial metapodial.
cf. Gazellospira sp. Pilgrim and Schaub 1939
1 specimen
1 frontal fragment with base of horncore.
Bos aff. primigenius Bojanus 1827
30 specimens
1 partial horncore, 5 upper and 10 lower cheek teeth, 1 partial radioulna, 4 carpals, 2 metacarpals, 1 partial tibia, 3 calcanei, 1 metatarsal, 1 metapodial and a phalanx.
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotonidae indet. Thomas 1897
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Leporidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus 1758)
Mammalia - Rodentia - Dipodidae
Dipodidae indet. Waterhouse 1842
Allactaga euphratica
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse 1839
Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas 1773)
Mimomys savini
Microtus (Allophaiomys) nutiensis
Lagurus arankae
new subspecies
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Spalax leucodon
Micromys sp. n. sp. Dehne 1841
Apodemus sp. Kaup 1829
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Spermophilus sp. Cuvier 1825
Mammalia - Rodentia - Castoridae
Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758
Trogontherium cuvieri Owen 1846
Pisces
Pisces indet. Linnaeus 1758
synonym of Osteichthyes
see common names

Geography
Country:Turkey
Coordinates: 38.3° North, 31.9° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:38.3° North, 31.9° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Altitude:1030 meters
Time
Period:Quaternary Epoch:Pleistocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Early/Lower Pleistocene
Age range of interval:2.58000 - 0.77400 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Dursunlu
Stratigraphy comments: The Dursunlu deposit comprises (lower) Pleistocene lacustrine limestones, marls and clays with lignite beds. Cores suggest some 45-50m of sedimentary infill.
The basal portion of core one is +5m and is fine reddish mud, presumed alluvial with a terrestrial origin.The overlying 45m are a 'shallowing upwards lacustrine sequence, incorporating intermittent episodes of fluctuating lake level(s), shallowing and even subaerial exposure(s).'
Dating - palaeomagentism indicates Reversed polarity with two weak Normal records. It is suggested that this represents the lower part of the Matuyama Chron. Biharian on faunal records.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: lignite
Lithology description: Vertebrate fossils are confirmed in two levels of lignite, but others may have come from elsewhere. The known fossiliferous layers are in the upper lignite member at -10 to -12m and in the basal part of bedded silty clays at -4m. The majority of the cores are greenish, partially laminated clays, with lignite bands and occasional silty clays with rootlets and molluscs.
Environment:lacustrine - large
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some microfossils
Collection methods:salvage,sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:archaeological analysis
Collection method comments: Fossils and artefacts were recovered from the spoil heaps of a large lignite quarry.
Microfaunal remains were recovered by sieving.
Collection contains 175 archaeoogical artefacts.
Specimens kept at MTA, Ankara.
Taxonomic list comments:Also 3 larger undetermined bovid specimens, represented by 2 lower teeth and a tarsal (cuboravicular).
41 species of birds have also been identified, but these were reported elsewhere.
Metadata
Database number:39314
Authorizer:A. Turner Enterer:H. O'Regan
Modifier:B. Allen Research group:PACED
Created:2004-05-26 06:54:07 Last modified:2023-07-29 15:14:11
Access level:the public Released:2004-05-26 06:54:07
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
10617.PACED E. Gulec, F. C. Howell, and T. D. White. 1999. Dursunlu - a new Lower Pleistocene faunal and artifact-bearing locality in southern Anatolia. in Ullrich, H., ed, Hominid evolution - Lifestyles and survival strategies. Edition Archaea, Gelsenkirchen/Schwelm. 349-364 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]

Secondary references:

9580PACED H. J. O'Regan. 2003. Reidentifications and synonomies of European mammals. [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/M. Uhen]