Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827

Fourvel, Jean-Baptiste, Fosse, Philippe, Fernandez, Philippe & Antoine, Pierre-Olivier, 2015, Large mammals of Fouvent-Saint-Andoche (Haute-Saône, France): a glimpse into a Late Pleistocene hyena den, Geodiversitas 37 (2), pp. 237-266 : 259

Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — NISP =241; MNI =31.

1842 sample: 1 skull (parietal fragment); 1 left horn core; 1 horn core; 1 left M1-2; 2 right M1-2; 2 left m3; 1 right radius; 2 left metacarpals; 1 right innominate; 1 right tibia; 1 left talus; 1 left calcaneus; 2 right calcanei.

1989-1992 sample: 10 petrosal bones; 1 skull (frontal fragment); 2 right D2; 3 left D3; 2 right D3; 2 right D4; 2 left P2; 2 left P3-4; 2 right P3-4; 3 left P4; 1 left M1; 4 right M1-2; 3 left M1-2; 3 right M2; 1 left M2; 1 right M3; 1 left mandible including m and m2; 1 right d2; 2 left d4; 1 right d4; 1 right i1-2; 1 right i2; 1 left p2; 2 right p3; 5 left p3; 3 right p4; 2 left p4; 4 right m1; 8 left m1; 3 right m1-2; 5 left m1-2; 2 m 1-2; 5 right m3; 6 left m3; 1 m 3; 1 upper premolar fragment; 6 upper molar fragments; 10 lower molar fragments; 1 incisor fragment; 2 premolar fragments; 1 molar fragment; 18 tooth fragments; 2 cervical vertebrae; 1 sacral fragment; 5 right humeri; 4 left humeri; 3 humeri; 1 right radius; 2 right radii; 6 radius; 3 ulnae; 1 scaphoid; 1 metacarpal; 1 right femur; 1 left femur; 11 femorae; 5 right tibiae; 3 left tibiae; 14 tibiae; 1 right malleolus; 1 right talus; 3 right calcanei; 2 left cuneiforms; 1 right metatarsal; 3 left metatarsals; 4 metatarsals; 2 first phalanges; 2 sesamoids; 4 metapodials.

DESCRIPTION

Among the ungulate remains from Fouvent, 241 specimens could be associated to large bovines ( Bos or Bison ). Tooth wear, as well as the bones dispersal within the different layers, suggest a minimum of 31 individuals from different age classes: adult, juvenile and senile. Their precise taxonomic identification (at genus or specific level) in association with other species provides usually a valuable asset to reconstruct palaeo-environments. B. priscus is commonly associated to an open/steppic land, while B. primigenius Bojanus, 1827 is more adapted to open spaces and open woodland. Some morpho- metrical discriminating criteria for bovines during Pleistocene were widely detailed in the last decades ( Olsen 1960; Brugal 1983; Slott-Moller 1990; Auguste 1995; Fernandez 2006). Unfortunately, fragmentation of dental and postcranial material with numerous surface alterations (dissolution, bone desquamation, etc…) have strongly restricted our observations and measurements as regards Fouvent. The dental material is abundant with 91 teeth isolated or within jaws, i.e. 37% of the total sample. The distinction between Bos and Bison was mainly conducted on a small part of the sample starting from dental morphological criteria of Slott-Moller (1990). We observed on ten M3 that the height of the ectostylid, as well as the mesial vestibular convexity of the crown, were consistent with the typical morphological features of Bison . Among postcranial elements, a complete astragalus (1842.7) and a complete calcaneus (1842.78; Fig.9I ) were ascribed to B. priscus . The upper trochlea shows in both cases the typical “U” profile of bison as described by Slott-Moller (1990). The medial tubercle appears isolated above the proximal margin line of the distal trochlea, which is characteristic of Bison ( Olsen 1960) . Similarly, the calcaneus meets the criteria mentioned for the bison ( Brugal 1983; Magniez 2010). If some remains are associated to B. priscus , however it is not possible to assign by extension all the material to this species. On the one hand, the sample size with morphological evidence of bison is too small, on the other hand it is quite possible that other bones (coxal, metapods, carpals, and tarsals still under study) could either correspond to B. primigenius as it is often the case.

Figures

FIG. 9.— Ungulates (other than rhinoceros) remains from Fouvent: A, B, giant deer Megaloceros giganteus Blumenbach,1799:right 1842.14 (A) and left 1842.13 (B) mandibles; C-E, red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758: basal part of right antler 1842.109 (C) and ingested left talus 1842.97 (D, palmar view; E, dorsal view); F-H, horse Equus germanicus Nehring,1884:right metacarpal 1842.2 (F), first 1842.6 (G) and third H9.A.1 (H) phalanges;I-L, large bovid Bovidae:right calcaneum 1842.78 (I), first phalange G10.E/A.9 (J, dorsal view; K, lateral view) and metapodial distal portion F11.A.50 (L); M-O reindeer Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758): basal part of left antler 1842.106 (M), portion of right antler F10.B.329 (N) and right metatarsal G9.24 (O). Scale bar: 20 mm. Pictures by JBF.