Late Pleistocene Faunal Remains from Seton Rock Shelter, Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Abstract

Seton rock shelter (350 59' S, 1370 03' E) is located in the southwest of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Excavation of the late Pleistocene deposit in the rock shelter has provided a rich assemblage of mammal, bird and reptile remains dating from more than 16 000 BP to about 10 000 BP. Analysis of these remains shows that the late Pleistocene fauna of Kangaroo Island was more extensive than the depauperate island fauna of today. The disappearance of many species reflects a reduction in open vegetation probably due to a combination of climatic change, the separation of the island postglacially by rising sea level, and the disappearance of a human population within the last 5000 years. The deposit also provides evidence for the contemporaneity of man and one of the extinct Pleistocene kangaroos, Sthenurus cf. gilli, at 16 000 BP.

Thorough assessment of DNA preservation from fossil bone and sediments excavated from a late Pleistocene–Holocene cave deposit on Kangaroo Island, South Australia

“…Our results also highlight the potential of the ongoing excavation that will delve even deeper (> 15 layers) into the past and may provide insights into the extinction of megafaunal species previously recorded on KI (Hope et al, 1977) and at the KHC site (McDowell, 2013).…”

“…1), and is the third-largest land-bridge island in Australia (4,405 km 2 ), with a length of 145 km and width of 55 km at its widest point (Abbott, 1974;Hope et al, 1977;Lampert, 1981;Twidale and Bourne, 2002) (Fig. 1).…”

“…penicillata have been identified from KI fossil bones (Hope et al, 1977;McDowell, 2013;Robinson and Armstrong, 1999). Both have been now extirpated from the island.…”

Origin of the antitropical distribution pattern in marine mussels ( Mytilus spp.): routes and timing of transequatorial migration

“…Shells of Mytilus spp. have been found among late Pleistocene fossil materials in New Zealand, and mainland Australia and Tasmania (Fleming 1959;Hope et al 1977;Donner and Jungner 1981;Colhoun et al 1982), supporting a Pleistocene origin of Mytilus spp. in the southern hemisphere.…”

The Pleistocene Distribution of the Tasmanian Native-Hen Gallinula Mortierii Mortierii

“…for Spring Creek (Flannery 1980) to between 10 940 t 160 and 16 110 k 100 y.b.p. for Seton Rock Shelter (Hope et al 1977). The 6 605 _t 190 y.b.p.…”