The skull of Hippopotamus amphibius of CavaMontanari Cranium in dorsal (A), forward (B), ideal lateral (C), left lateral (D) and posterior (E) views. Mandible in occlusal (F) ideal lateral (G) and left lateral (H) views. Scale bar 10 cm. Credit: Mecozzi et al., 2023, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0
New analysis settles enduring confusion about the age of a crucial fossil.
Modern hippos very first distributed in Europe throughout the Middle Pleistocene, a geological date that covered from about 770,000 to 126,000 years earlier. This is according to a research study released November 22, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Beniamino Mecozzi of the Sapienza University of Rome and coworkers.
Modern hippos, Hippopotamus amphibius, occurred from African forefathers throughout the Quaternary, a time when hippos were extensive inEurope However, the information of the modern-day < period class =(**************************************** )aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>species</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>A species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" > types‘ origin and dispersal intoEurope are uncertain and extremely discussed.In this research study,Mecozzi and coworkers supply brand-new insights by means of analysis of a fossil hippo skull from the research study location ofTor diQuinto inRome
TheSignificance of theTor diQuintoSkull
The skull ofTor diQuinto, presently housed at theEarthScienceUniversityMuseum ofSapienzaUniversity ofRome, is amongst the most total hippo specimens understood from Pleistocene Europe, however its significance has actually been uncertain due to unpredictabilities about its age and where precisely it was initially excavated.
Following the remediation of the skull in 2021, scientists had the ability to evaluate the structure of sediments discovered within the skull cavities, exposing a match to the regional Valle Guilia Formation, showing a geologic age for this skull in between 560,000-460,000 years of ages. Cranial and oral morphologies likewise verified the identity of this skull as the modern-day types Hippopotamus amphibius.
Historical image of the Tor di Quinto location from the archive of the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA, A, B) and the very same location today. Credit: Mecozzi et al., 2023, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0
Unraveling Hippo History in Europe
This research study exposes this skull to be the earliest recognized fossil of this modern-day hippo types inEurope These results clarify the history of hippos in Europe, enhancing the hypothesis of an early dispersal throughout the Middle Pleistocene and boosting a wider understanding of the deep history of these big mammals. Hippos are extremely prominent types within modern-day and ancient communities, and they are important signs of previous environment and ecological conditions.
The authors include: “Restoring the mammal skeletons exposed at the University Museum of Earth Science, Terra, Sapienza University of Rome provides brand-new information for old fossils. The multidisciplinary research study of the skull from Cava Montanari (Roma) redefines the very first dispersal of Hippopotamus amphibius in Europe.”
Reference: “Reinforcing the idea of an early dispersal of Hippopotamus amphibius in Europe: Restoration and multidisciplinary study of the skull from the Middle Pleistocene of Cava Montanari (Rome, central Italy)” by Beniamino Mecozzi, Alessio Iannucci, Marco Mancini, Daniel Tentori, Chiara Cavasinni, Jacopo Conti, Mattia Yuri Messina, Alex Sarra and Raffaele Sardella, 22 November 2023, PLOS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0293405
Funding: Sapienza Universit à di Roma Grandi Scavi 2019 SA11916 B513 E7C4BProf Raffaele Sardella -Sapienza Universit à di Roma Grandi Scavi 2020 SA1221816893 E2ABProf Raffaele Sardella -Sapienza Universit à di Roma Grandi Scavi 2021 SA12117 A87 BC3F0AProf Raffaele Sardella Sapienza Universit à di Roma Grandi Scavi 2022 SA1221816893 E2AB)Prof Raffaele Sardella Progetti per Avvio alla Ricerca– Tipo 2 anno 2022,” Sapienza Universit à di Roma AR222181333 C1B88Dr Beniamino Mecozzi Contributi premiali per i ricercatori e assegnisti di ricerca per rafforzarne la condizione professionale e potenziare il sistema della ricerca del Lazio” DE G05411, 05/05/2022Dr Beniamino Mecozzi.
