New Data on Pleistocene Rodents from Cuvieri Cave (Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais); Taphonomic, Taxonomic, and Paleoenviromental Considerations

• Grant number: 23/16233-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Paleozoology
• Principal Investigator: Artur Chahud
• Grantee: Juliana Takahashi Machado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

An important fossil and subfossil assemblage of Pleistocene mammals has been discovered in deposits of Cuvieri Cave (Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil). This fossil package includes a variety of rodents with substantial morphological and taxonomic diversity. In this study, the taxonomy and taphonomy of Rodentia remains will be investigated, conducting morphological and anatomical comparisons. The groups to be studied, with both fossil and living representatives in Lagoa Santa, are: Caviomorpha, Cricetidae, and Sciuridae. Caviomorphs diversified in South America and are represented by small species and medium to large rodents of the Cavioidea Superfamily, including Caviidae, represented by rock cavies and guinea pigs; Dasyproctidae, agoutis of the genus Dasyprocta; and Cuniculidae, pacas of the genus Cuniculus, with living representatives and an extinct species, C. rugiceps. The families Cricetidae and Sciuridae have a Holarctic origin and are represented by small rodents. The material to be studied was found in one of the internal abysses of Cuvieri Cave, called Locus 3, with a wide stratigraphic distribution throughout the deposit. The research conducted with this material aims to expand knowledge about the faunal scenario in the Southeast of Brazil during the Pleistocene, contributing to paleoenvironmental information and providing a better understanding of the evolutionary history and diversity of rodents in Brazil.