On Post-Glacial Pelicans in Britain

Forbes, C. L.; Joysey, K. A.; West, R. G.

doi:10.1017/s0016756800062737

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Finds have, however, recently been confirmed genetically in northern Germany [38], which together with the presumed remains of Dalmatian pelicans found in England, the Netherlands and Denmark [39,40], implies that it had a much wider distribution c. 10,300-5000 years ago, making it likely that the species occurred also in Sweden. The Skateholm find is housed at the Lund University Historical Museum.…”

Section: The Holocene Climatic Optimummentioning

confidence: 99%

The Colonisation History of the Scandinavian Fauna Presented through Subfossil Finds along One of Its Major Immigration Routes; Scania, Southern Sweden

Rosengren¹

2015

eer

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Most of the Swedish subfossil finds of terrestrial mammals have been recovered from Scania. The contributing factors may be that the locally more abundant Late Weichselian sediment basins have been exposed through the extensive practice of peat cutting during the 19 th century, and that the public awareness of the significance of the bones and antlers found, prior to the birth of the modern archaeological science, led to them being acquired to research collections. They came to form the basis for the discovery and reconstruction of the postglacial re-colonisation history of the terrestrial fauna. Here, some of these spectacular finds of faunal remains are presented. Today we know that Scania, through the recurrent establishment of a land bridge connecting it to the European mainland, represented one of the major immigration routes into Scandinavia. Already in the Late Glacial the inhabitants of the disintegrating mammoth steppe colonised the newly deglaciated land. It was, however, mainly between c. 12,400 and 9500 cal. years BP, in part due to the existence of a more long lasting land bridge and the continuing amelioration of the climate, that the postglacial fauna in Sweden was formed.

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Section: The Holocene Climatic Optimummentioning

confidence: 99%

The Colonisation History of the Scandinavian Fauna Presented through Subfossil Finds along One of Its Major Immigration Routes; Scania, Southern Sweden

Rosengren¹

2015

eer

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“…Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax), raising doubts over the origin of any pelicans consumed in Britain during this period (Bourne 1999, Shrubb 2013. Forbes et al (1958) summarized later historical observations. Thomas Browne recorded a pelican shot at Horsey Fen, Norfolk, in 1663, but suggested this was probably an escape from the captive colony at St James' Park, London (Milne-Edwards 1868b).…”

Section: Historical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges for incorporating long‐term baselines into biodiversity restoration: A case study of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) in Britain

Crees

Oxley

Schreve

et al. 2022

Ibis

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Species reintroductions are a core component of conservation but require critical assessment of past baselines. The Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus formerly occurred in Britain during the Holocene and there is interest in its possible reintroduction, but its regional extinction dynamics remain poorly understood. Pelican bones are known from subfossil and zooarchaeological contexts at 11 British Holocene sites in three regions (East Anglian Fens, Somerset Levels and Moors, Humber Valley). Dalmatian Pelican is positively identified from four of these sites, with other specimens only identified to genus level. Pelican populations were probably only present periodically in Britain during intervals of suitable climate and available habitat: there is little evidence for pelicans before the Bronze Age, and most sites are known or inferred to be Iron Age. There is a suggested Medieval specimen but no secure evidence of pelican presence after the Roman period. However, no specimens are directly dated, with age estimation reliant upon indirect dates or inference. Climatic niche modelling indicates that southern Britain was the northwestern limit of pelican climate tolerance under postglacial conditions, and pelicans may have been unable to persist regionally until the mid-or late Holocene. Considerable pelican breeding and foraging habitat might have existed until the Medieval period, but availability of suitable habitat fluctuated throughout the Holocene. Probabilistic analysis suggests possible mean extinction date estimates between AD 589 and AD 1587, highlighting uncertainty associated with indirect data, and hindering our ability to correlate pelican disappearance with putative extinction drivers (overexploitation, human modification of wetlands, or non-anthropogenic environmental changes). Improving our understanding of conditions associated with past pelican occurrence is essential for potential reintroduction decision-making, and direct dating of bones from all sites is needed to establish a secure chronological framework for correlating pelican presence and disappearance with regional landscape change. This review provides a robust framework for how to integrate past environmental baselines into conservation decisionmaking and reintroduction feasibility assessments.

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“…Pelecanus sp. is recorded from zone F1 I11 peat near Kings Lynn, Norfolk (Forbes, Joysey & West, 1958).…”

Section: ( B ) Present-day Zone Fl 111mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pleistocene History of the British Vertebrate Fauna

Stuart¹

1974

Biological Reviews

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SUMMARY This review covers the Pleistocene history of British non‐marine Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia and especially Mammalia, which alone have a good fossil record. Aves are also briefly discussed. The fossil material available is often inadequate for purposes of taxonomy and identification. Further problems arise because many groups of Mammalia have undergone rapid evolution during the Pleistocene. In this paper the fossil record is related to the currently accepted stratigraphic table of the British Pleistocene (Shotton & West, 1969). Wherever possible, fossil records have been assigned to pollen assemblage zones. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the relationship between faunal history and vegetational history, as determined from fossil pollen and macroscopic plant remains. Although fossils are relatively scarce in the fluviatile and lacustrine deposits of open sites, compared with the often rich cave assemblages, the stratigraphy of the former is usually much clearer and the sediments commonly contain pollen. It is difficult to correlate cave sequences with those of open sites. It is important to take into account possible bias in a fossil assemblage according to its mode of accumulation, e.g. assemblages from occupation sites may represent only those animals which were hunted by man. Lower Pleistocene vertebrates are rather poorly‐known. The majority of fossils are from the marine Crags of East Anglia (Pre‐Ludhamian to Pastonian) and a single cave assemblage of this age is known (Dove Holes). Few records can be related to particular stages, but a few finds from Easton Bavents are assigned to Antian and Baventian stages. Early Middle Pleistocene vertebrates are represented mainly by the rich assemblages from the marine and fresh‐water Weybourne Crag and Cromer Forest Bed Series (Baventian to Early Anglian) of Norfolk and Suffolk. The East Runton fauna appears to be of pre‐Cromerian (?Pastonian) age. A good fauna is known from the type Cromerian deposits at West Runton (zone Cr 11). A few records are available for zone ?Cr III and one for the Early Anglian. The assemblages from other localities appear to represent more than one stage at each site, e.g. the so‐called ‘Bacton Forest Bed’ fauna is composite, including both Cromerian and ?Pastonian taxa. Outside East Anglia one open site (Sugworth) and one cave fauna (Westbury) of probable Cromerian age are known. Many of the fossils found in lacustrine and river‐terrace deposits of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene glacial‐interglacial succession (Anglian to present day) can be assigned to particular stages, zones or even subzones. Cave assemblages rarely predate the Ipswichian. No pre‐Devensian records are available for either Scotland or Ireland. The Anglian fauna is very poorly known. The Hoxnian is represented principally by the Clacton (zone Ho IIb) and Swanscombe faunas. The Baker's Hole deposit, the basal gravels of the Summertown‐Radley Terrace and the Glutton and Bear Strata in Tornewton Cave have yielded faunas of probable Wolstonian age. The early Ipsw...

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On Post-Glacial Pelicans in Britain

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

The Colonisation History of the Scandinavian Fauna Presented through Subfossil Finds along One of Its Major Immigration Routes; Scania, Southern Sweden

The Colonisation History of the Scandinavian Fauna Presented through Subfossil Finds along One of Its Major Immigration Routes; Scania, Southern Sweden

Challenges for incorporating long‐term baselines into biodiversity restoration: A case study of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) in Britain

Pleistocene History of the British Vertebrate Fauna

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