ABSTRACT: Quaternary marine and land mammals and their paleoenvironmental implications : some examples from northern North America

CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Abstract

Workers on Quaternary mammals should try to obtain as much information as possible from fossil evidence available - especially from well-preserved specimens. Examples discussed here are drawn from marine (seal and walrus) and land mammal remains (mammoth, stag-moose, saiga antelope, and arctic ground squirrel) from northern North America. It is particularly important that: specimens are correctly identified; stratigraphic and sedimentological situations of skeletons found in place are carefully assessed; associated plant and animal remains are evaluated for paleoenvironmental clues; direct and indirect geochronological data applying to the specimens are gathered - where possible testing the validity of such data by cross-checking; bone surfaces are closely examined so that signs of predator-prey relationships, scavenging, and disease may be detected; an effort is made to establish individual ages of the specimens (for example, bytooth-sectioning); in the case of unusually well-preserved specimens, stomach contents, droppings and soft parts are analyzed in order to gain information on feeding habits and other ecological parameters. Above all, Quaternary paleobiologists should view these long-dead animals as realistically as possible, trying to see their place in the web of life - as mammalogists view living species. Finally, we must try to pass on significant paleoenvironmental information in an appealing way to the public - as they should be aware of the great changes that can occur in landscapes and their biota over even relatively short periods of geological time

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology