Past and present distributions and community evolution of Muridae and Soricidae from MIS 9 to MIS 1 on the edge of the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain (south coast, South Africa)

Pleistocene golden mole and sand-swimming trace fossils from the Cape coast of South Africa

“…Representatives of the Chrysochloridae are documented from all the epochs of this time interval. Matthews et al (2019), in reporting on micromammal remains from archaeological and palaeontological sites on the Cape south coast, spanning a time interval from MIS 9 to MIS 1, noted only indeterminate Chrysochloridae specimens, which had not been identified to the genus or species level.…”

“…1). More than 250 such sites have been identified in aeolianite and cemented foreshore deposits, indicating a diverse trace fossil record with the potential to complement and greatly enhance the rich traditional body fossil archive in the region (e.g., Klein, 1976Klein, , 1983Klein et al, 2007;Rector and Reed, 2010;Marean et al, 2014;Matthews et al, 2019), which is derived largely from archaeological sites and scavenger dens. Examples of these ichnological findings include reports of hatchling turtle tracks (Lockley et al, 2019), crocodile and water monitor tracks (Helm et al, 2020b), giraffe tracks (Helm et al, 2018a), and hominin tracks (Helm 2018b(Helm , 2019a.…”

The 100,000–77,000-Year Old Middle Stone Age Micromammal Sequence from Blombos Cave, South Africa: Local Climatic Stability or a Tale of Predator Bias?

“…Reconstruction of environmental conditions is crucial for our understanding of resource procurement strategies, technological and cultural innovations, and site choices made by these early humans. Analyses of micromammals incorporated into archaeological sediments have the potential to elucidate past local environmental conditions (e.g., Andrews, 1990;Avery, 1979Avery, , 1982Avery, , 2002Matthews, 2004;Matthews et al, 2009Matthews et al, , 2011Matthews et al, , 2020Stoetzel et al, 2011Stoetzel et al, , 2018. Micromammals are referred to here as rodents, shrews, and bats with a live weight of < 200 g. These small mammals are suitable palaeoenvironmental informants as they have small home ranges (usually less than 1-km radius).…”

“…D. M. Avery has been prominent in establishing a South African methodological record, demonstrating the suitability of micromammals as palaeoenvironmental informants of vegetational and climatic conditions through the application of biodiversity indices, analyses of taxonomic composition in relation to habitat requirements, and relative abundance of species (Avery 1979(Avery , 1982(Avery , 1987(Avery , 1992a(Avery , b, 2001(Avery , 2007. Her research pioneered the analyses of micromammal assemblages from archaeological sites in South Africa during the past two decades (e.g., Faith et al, 2019;Matthews, 2004;Matthews et al, 2005Matthews et al, , 2009Matthews et al, , 2011Matthews et al, , 2020Nel, 2013;Nel & Henshilwood, 2016;Nel et al, 2018). Recent research has emphasized the need for improved information about modern habitat requirements and distributions of some micromammal species to better understand past and present ecological niche behaviors (Avery, 2007;Matthews & Nel, 2021;Matthews et al, 2020).…”

“…Her research pioneered the analyses of micromammal assemblages from archaeological sites in South Africa during the past two decades (e.g., Faith et al, 2019;Matthews, 2004;Matthews et al, 2005Matthews et al, , 2009Matthews et al, , 2011Matthews et al, , 2020Nel, 2013;Nel & Henshilwood, 2016;Nel et al, 2018). Recent research has emphasized the need for improved information about modern habitat requirements and distributions of some micromammal species to better understand past and present ecological niche behaviors (Avery, 2007;Matthews & Nel, 2021;Matthews et al, 2020). This issue is discussed further in this article.…”