A new species of hippopotamine (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae) from the late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Boisserie, Jean‐Renaud; Schuster, Mathieu; Beech, Mark; Hill, Andrew; Bibi, Faysal

doi:10.18563/pv.41.1.e2

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Given the age of the formation, the presence of a tetralophodontine gomphothere is surprising, as is the absence of anancine gomphotheres and the primitive elephant Primelephas. The unusual composition of the proboscidean cohort in the Baynunah Formation, and the specieslevel uniqueness of its stegotetrabelodont parallels evidence for regional endemism suggested by the hippopotamines from the formation (Boisserie et al 2017;Boisserie & Bibi, this volume), confounding attempts to establish biogeographic links with specific regions within Africa. It also indicates that there were distinctly different habitats available for multiple contemporaneous proboscidean lineages to exploit in the Baynunah region during the late Miocene, ranging from closed canopy to open savanna and featuring a wide spectrum of dietary choices.…”

Section: The Dental Morphology Of Late Miocene Examples Of Afro-arabianmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Previous studies have been made of the individual mammalian groups occurring in the Baynunah Formation (e.g., de Bruijn and Whybrow 1994;Barry 1999;Bishop and Hill 1999;de Bruijn 1999;Eisenmann and Whybrow 1999;Gentry 1999a, b;Hill and Grundling 1999;Boisserie 2005;Kraatz et al 2009;Gilbert et al 2014;Boisserie et al 2017; see also other chapters in this volume). Proboscidean fossils are particularly well represented in the mammalian assemblage and have been known since geological and paleontological survey of the area in the 1960s.…”

Section: Proboscidea-sandersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation

Sanders¹

2021

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The Baynunah Formation provides the only late Miocene record of fossil proboscideans from the Arabian Peninsula, identifiable as a deinothere, tetralophodont gomphothere(s), and stegotetrabelodont elephant. Ichnofossils show the oldest evidence for modern-type elephant herd structure. The elephant sample is particularly abundant, and newly-recovered fossils yield critical evidence about their systematics and biology. Comparative results show that the Baynunah stegotetrabelodont belongs in a new species, and that in many ways it is the most primitive of all elephants —supporting a geological age of 8.0-6.0 Ma—consistent with having evolved in Afro-Arabia from Tetralophodon between 9.0-8.0 Ma. Body size analyses reveal that these elephants were exceptionally tall and heavy, possibly exceeding 10,000 kg. Tooth emergence is reconstructed as dp2-dp3-dp4-p3-m1-p4- m2-m3. The taxonomic composition and dietary preferences of the Baynunah proboscideans indicate the presence of heterogeneous local habitats in the region during the late Miocene, though the high abundance of the stegotetrabelodont, and the rarity of the deinothere and gomphothere(s) indicate a dominance of grassland habitats and a lesser representation of wooded areas.

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Section: The Dental Morphology Of Late Miocene Examples Of Afro-arabianmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Proboscidea-sandersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation

Sanders¹

2021

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“…Tetralophodon is also present in the Baynunah fauna, and the combination of a primitive Stegotetrabelodon with a late-surviving Tetralophodon favors the older end of the 8 to 6 Ma range. Similarly, Boisserie and Bibi (this volume; see also Boisserie et al 2017a) report that the Baynunah hippopotamid Archaeopotamus qeshta is the most primitive hippopotamine for which the mandibular morphology is known, more primitive than A. harvardi from the Lower Nawata, and Hexaprotodon garyam from Toros-Menalla, Chad. Archaeopotamus qeshta is, however, more derived than Chororatherium roobii from the middle fossil beds at Chorora, Ethiopia (Boisserie et al 2017b).…”

Section: Biochronologymentioning

confidence: 88%

“…The Baynunah hippopotamid indicates eastern African affinities. Archaeopotamus qeshta has its closest relatives in A. harvardi and A. lothagamensis from Kenya, and differs from penecontemporaneous hippos from northern Africa and the Siwaliks (Boisserie et al 2017a;Boisserie and Bibi this volume).…”

Section: Biogeographymentioning

confidence: 98%

Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography of the Baynunah Fauna

Bibi¹,

Kaya²,

Varela³

2021

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The Baynunah Formation has produced a diverse assemblage of plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate fossils that provides the only window onto the terrestrial late Miocene record of the Arabian Peninsula. This chapter reviews and revises the age, biogeography, environments, and ecology of the Baynunah fauna. Biochronological estimates indicate an age of between 8 and 6 Ma, with several indicators favoring the older end of this range. Paleomagnetostratigraphic correlation more precisely favors an age between ~7.7 and 7.0 Ma, and a maximum duration of less than 720 kyr. Rough estimates of sedimentation rate based on assumptions of precessional control of carbonate formation in the upper parts of the Baynunah Formation here tentatively suggest a duration of ~250 kyr. The most common body fossils found are remains of fish (catfish and cichlids), turtles, and crocodiles, indicating the presence of a large but shallow and slow-moving river. A diverse community of mammalian herbivores subsisted along the banks of the Baynunah River, ranging from rodents to proboscideans, and carnivores included a mustelid, hyaenids, and a saber-toothed felid. The fauna, in conjunction with stable isotope data, indicates the presence of a highly seasonal semi-arid environment, characterized by open habitats with C4 grasslands and trees. The most common large mammals are equids, bovids, hippopotamids, and proboscideans. The high abundance of equids in the Baynunah Formation is unlike African late Miocene assemblages and more like those from the eastern Mediterranean, but the underlying ecological reasons for this are not clear. Baynunah species indicate dominantly African biogeographic influences combined with Eurasian elements. Genus-level comparisons indicate that the Baynunah fauna was part of the widespread Old World Savanna Paleobiome that covered much of Africa and Eurasia during the late Miocene. Food web (trophic network) analyses of the large mammals indicate a highly connected community similar to that of the modern Serengeti. Among the largest Baynunah herbivores (giraffids, proboscideans), only juveniles would have been vulnerable to predation, even under scenarios of cooperative hunting. In contrast to the fluvial Baynunah sediments, the underlying Shuwaihat Formation indicates arid conditions, and provides some of the oldest evidence for desertification in the Saharo-Arabian desert belt.

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“…Fossils found by this and all later expeditions were given the prefix AAM (for Al Ain Museum), later changed to AUH (the Abu Dhabi airport code). One of the important specimens discovered in the 1983-1984 survey was a hippo mandible -AUH 457 (Boisserie et al 2017;Boisserie and Bibi, this volume). Some of these fossils were subsequently shown to the German archeologist and zooarcheologist Hans-Peter Uerpmann from the University of Tübingen, who was working in both the UAE and Oman.…”

Section: Whybrow and Hill: 1979-1999mentioning

confidence: 99%

The History of Paleontological Investigation in Western Abu Dhabi Emirate

Beech¹,

Kraatz²,

Bibi³

2021

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The story of the discovery of late Miocene fossils within the Baynunah geological formation in Abu Dhabi’s western Al Dhafra region concerns a host of international paleontologists, many of whom have contributed to this volume, as well as the backing of their related scientific institutions. In particular, the first study of the Baynunah owes a lot to the late Peter Whybrow (1942-2004) and a co-editor of the present volume, the late Andrew Hill (1946-2015). The discovery of the majority of the important fossils described in this publication would have not happened without their personal contributions. From the early 1980s until today, the Abu Dhabi government has always been a supportive partner to this paleontological research and continues to document, research, and protect important fossil sites that are part of the late Miocene Baynunah Formation, as well as curate the important collection of fossil specimens resulting from this work. This present publication provides details of the latest comprehensive overview of the Baynunah fossils and updates the earlier volume, Fossil Vertebrates of Arabia (Whybrow and Hill, 1999). A large number of new fossil specimens were discovered during the newer field seasons of work carried out between 2003 and 2018. This has provided an opportunity to undertake major revisions and updates of some of the Baynunah fauna.

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A new species of hippopotamine (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae) from the late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation

Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation

Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography of the Baynunah Fauna

The History of Paleontological Investigation in Western Abu Dhabi Emirate

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