Contents

2024 in paleomammalogy

This article records new taxaoffossil mammals of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2024, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of mammals that are scheduled to occur in the year 2024.

Afrotherians[edit]

Proboscideans[edit]

Proboscidean research[edit]

• Konidaris et al. (2024) describe new proboscidean material from Late Miocene localities in Romania, including fossils of Deinotherium proavum and "Mammut" cf. obliquelophus, as well as the first fossil material of a member of the genus Konobelodon from the country.^[1]
• Yaghoubi et al. (2024) describe fossil material of "Mammut" cf. obliquelophus from the Miocene fossiliferous areas of Maragheh (Iran), extending known geographical range of this taxon.^[2]
• Evidence from the study of molarsofNotiomastodon platensis from Brazilian Quaternary fossiliferous assemblages, interpreted as indicating that N. platensis was susceptible to tartar development, is presented by Paiva, Alves-Silva & Barbosa (2024).^[3]
• A study on the histology of a rib of a specimen of Stegodon florensis florensis from the So'a Basin (Flores, Indonesia) is published by Basilia et al. (2024), who interpret the histology of the bone tissue as possibly indicative of a relatively long lifespan of the studied individual.^[4]
• Biswas, Chang & Tsai (2024) provide body mass estimates of specimens of Palaeoloxodon from Taiwan, determining the studied specimens to be similar in size to straight-tusked elephants across Eurasia.^[5]
• Pineda et al. (2024) study the assemblage of straight-tusked elephant remains from the Notarchirico site (Italy), and argue that the available evidence does not supporth the interpretation of the studied site as the elephant butchery area.^[6]
• Evidence from tooth enamel of a straight-tusked elephant specimen from the MIS 12 site Marathousa 1 (Greece), interpreted as indicating that the studied individual (as well as the hominins that processed its carcass) lived in stable environmental conditions with sufficient plant cover and limited seasonality, is presented by Roditi et al. (2024).^[7]
• Rowe et al. (2024) use isotopic and genetic data from a tusk of a female woolly mammoth from the Swan Point Archaeological Site (Alaska, United States) to trace the studied individual's lifetime movements, interpret their findings as indicative of movement of the studied individual approximately 1000 km northwest in the middle of her life, and compare the range of movement of the studied mammoth with the distribution of early archaeological sites in Alaska, arguing that early North Americans likely settled in the territories frequently used by mammoths.^[8]
• A study on the genetic consequences of isolation of woolly mammoths from Wrangel Island (Russia), as indicated by genomic data, is published by Dehasque et al. (2024), who find that the mainland population of mammoths from northeastern Siberia underwent little changes in genome-wide diversity prior to their extinction, that mammoths from Wrangel Island recovered quickly from the population bottleneck after becoming isolated on the island and their population subsequently remained stable with no evidence of accelerated decline prior to extinction (in spite of evidence of genomic erosion), and that the extinction of mammoths from Wrangel Island happened rapidly and its causes are uncertain.^[9]
• A review of the dwarf Sardinan mammoth species Mammuthus lamarmorai is presented by Palombo, Zedda and Zomboli (2024).^[10]

Sirenians[edit]

Sirenia research[edit]

• Mamdouh et al. (2024) describe fossil material of members of the genus Protosiren representing the first sirenians reported from the Eocene (Bartonian) ornamental limestone from the Eastern Desert (Egypt).^[11]

Other afrotherians[edit]

Miscellaneous afrotherian research[edit]

• Vitek & Princehouse (2024) evaluate classification criteria used to assign individual molars to serial position in fossil hyracoids.^[13]

Euarchontoglires[edit]

Primates[edit]

Primate research[edit]

• A study on the frequency of cariesinstrepsirrhines and on implications for determining diet and health of fossil members of the group, based on data from extant strepsirrhines, Karanisia clarki and Megaladapis madagascariensis, is published by Selig et al. (2024).^[17]
• Bouchet et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Pliobates cataloniae, and interpret this primate as a member of Pliopithecoidea belonging to the family Crouzeliidae.^[18]
• Revision of the fossil material of Old World monkeys from the Pliocene Mount Galili Formation (Ethiopia), indicative of closer similarity of the studied faunal assemblage to monkey assemblages from the Kanapoi and Gona localities than to the one from Aramis, is published by Reda et al. (2024).^[19]
• Stan et al. (2024) revise fossil material of Plio–Pleistocene Old World monkeys from Romania, and interpret the studied monkeys as indicative of a mosaic habitat with open and forested areas.^[20]
• Alba et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Anoiapithecus brevirostris from the Miocene strata of the Abocador de Can Mata sequence in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Spain).^[21]
• Russo et al. (2024) describe a partial postcranial skeleton of an ape from the Middle Miocene sediments of Napudet (Kenya), interpreting the studied specimen as having large forelimbs and likely relying on forelimb-dominated movement in the tree (possibly including vertical climbing) to a greater degree than most Early Miocene apes.^[22]
• A study on the inner ear and probable locomotion of Lufengpithecus is published by Zhang et al. (2024), who report that Lufengpithecus and other Miocene stem apes had the bony labyrinth morphology intermediate between that of gibbons and great apes, and argue that stem apes shared a common pattern of locomotion that combined aspects of the locomotor behaviors of gibbons and chimpanzees.^[23]
• A study on tooth enamel thickness and distribution in Lufengpithecus lufengensis is published by Zhang et al. (2024), who find enamel of Lufengpithecus to be thicker than those of orangutans and gorillas, but thinner than those of Homo erectus and modern humans.^[24]
• A study on the timeline and causes of extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki is published by Zhang et al. (2024), who use data from caves in the Chongzuo and Bubing Basin (China) to establish a regional window of extinction of G. blacki at 295.000–215.000 yers ago, and interpret the demise of G. blacki as caused by inability to adapt to changes in forest structure resulting from increased seasonality.^[25]
• A sample of possible teeth of Pongo devosi is described from the Zhongshan Cave by Liang et al. (2024), representing fossil material of the smallest fossil orangutans from southern China reported to date.^[26]
• Cazenave et al. (2024) argue that, contrary to the conclusions of Daver et al. (2024),^[27] the anatomy of the femur of Sahelanthropus tchadensis does not support the interpretation of this hominid as habitually bipedal.^[28]
• A study reconstructs the genetic event of tail-loss in human ancestors around 25 million years ago.^[29][30]

General paleoanthropology[edit]

• A study on the biogeography of early hominins is published by Sekhavati & Strait (2024).^[31]
• Evidence indicating that patterns of speciation and extinction of members of the genus Homo differed from those of other hominins is presented by van Holstein & Foley (2024).^[32]
• A study on changes of the complexity of stone tool manufacturing over the last 3.3 million years is published by Paige & Perreault (2024), who find evidence of an increase of technological complexity approximately 600,000 years ago, interpreted as related to the beginnings of human cumulative culture.^[33]
• Braga & Grine (2024) describe new fossil material of Paranthropus robustus from the Kromdraai fossil site (South Africa), providing information on the anatomy of previously unknown portions of the juvenile cranium of P. robustus, and interpret the studied fossil as consistent with the presence of a significant sexual dimorphism in the studied species.^[34]
• Claims that the Melka Kunture site-complex (Ethiopia) includes Oldowan and early Acheulean material which is approximately 2.0-1.9 million-years-old, presented by Mussi et al. (2023)^[35] and Muttoni et al. (2023),^[36] are contested by Gossa et al. (2024).^[37]
• Finestone et al. (2024) report the discovery of a new, approximately 1.7-million-years-old Oldowan locality Sare-Abururu (Homa Peninsula, Kenya), interpret the stone tools from this locality as indicating that hominins from Sare-Abururu were skilled knappers using quartz pebbles to produce flakes with sharp cutting edges, and report evidence of different raw material utilization and composition of stone tool assemblages from different Oldowan localities, likely related to differences of local landscapes and ecology.^[38]
• Evidence indicating that dental changes associated with later members of the genus Homo were not present in Homo habilis is presented by Davies et al. (2024).^[39]
• A study on the histology of teeth of Homo naledi, providing evidence of enamel growth resembling the one seen in modern humans, is published by Mahoney et al. (2024).^[40]
• Delezene et al. (2024) interpret low degree of morphological variation between teeth of different individuals of Homo naledi as consistent with the interpretation of known sample of fossils of H. naledi as including few or no individuals of one sex.^[41]
• A study on enamel formation in Homo naledi, providing evidence of short episodes of distress resulting from disease and longer periods of distress redulting from a season of undernutrition, is published by Skinner et al. (2024).^[42]
• Description of the endocast morphology of one of the specimens of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber of the Rising Star CaveinSouth Africa (Lesedi Hominin 1) is published by Hurst et al. (2024).^[43]
• Garba et al. (2024) determine the oldest stone tools from the Korolevo site (Ukraine) to be approximately 1.42 million years old, making the studied tools the earliest securely dated evidence of hominin presence in Europe reported to date.^[44]
• Maet al. (2024) report evidence of the use of prepared-core technique at the Cenjiawan site in the Nihewan Basin (China), and interpret this finding as indicating that hominins with advanced technologies might have been present in high latitude East Asia as early as 1.1 million years ago.^[45]
• Review of developments in the study of Paleolithic bone knapping tool industries in the preceding years is published by Parfitt & Bello (2024), who reevaluate evidence of the presence of bone knapping tools at the Acheulean Horse Butchery Site (Boxgrove, West Sussex, United Kingdom) and at the Magdalenian Gough's Cave site (Somerset, United Kingdom).^[46]
• A study on the morphological variation of the calvaria of Middle Pleistocene hominins from Africa and Eurasia with uncertain affinities is published by Hautavoine et al. (2024), who report that, in the general, the studied fossils from Africa tend to share closer affinities with Homo ergaster and Homo sapiens and the Eurasian specimens with Neanderthals, but also report that some of the studied specimens do not follow this general pattern, and interpret their findings as suggesting that multiple hominin populations with different affinities might have contributed to the emergence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.^[47]
• A study on the anatomy and affinities of Pleistocene hominins from the Xujiayao site is published by Wu & Bae (2024), who argue that Pleistocene hominins from Xujiayao and Lingjing sites in China might represent a previously unidentified population of large-brained hominins, differing from other Pleistocene hominins in cranial morphology and possibly resulting from interbreeding between different archaic human lineages.^[48]
• A study on the morphology of the frontal bone of a Pleistocene hominin from Kocabaş (Turkey) is published by Mori et al. (2024), who interpret the studied hominin as more likely belonging to Homo heidelbergensis sensu lato than to Homo erectus sensu lato.^[49]
• Review of genetic differences among Neandertals, Denisovans and modern humans, and of the impact of gene flow between archaic and modern humans on their physiology, is published by Zeberg, Jakobsson & Pääbo (2024).^[50]
• A study on the distribution of Denisovan and Neandertal DNA within two modern human populations living in the mountainous terrain surrounding Mount Wilhelm and Daru Island (Papua New Guinea) is published by Yermakovich et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of a significant role of Denisovan DNA in the adaptive processes of the studied populations, in particular in influencing the biology of their brains and their immune response to tropical diseases.^[51]
• Evidence indicating that Denisovans from the Baishiya Karst Cave (China) exploited animals from the Tibetan Plateau (mostly large herbivores, but also carnivores, small mammals and birds) for their bones which were used for tool production, as well as for their meat, marrow and hides, is presented by Xia et al. (2024), who also describe a new Denisovan rib from the Baishiya Karst Cave, providing evidence of presence of Denisovans at the site until at least 48,000–32,000 years ago.^[52]
• Pablos & Arsuaga (2024) study the anatomy of tarsals, metatarsal bones and foot phalanges of Middle Pleistocene hominins from the Sima de los Huesos site (Spain), found to be generally more robust than corresponding bones of extant and fossil Homo sapiens, and interpret the anatomy of the studied bones as supporting the placement of the Sima de los Huesos hominins as the sister evolutionaty group of Neanderthals.^[53][54]
• Review of the anatomy of the thorax and lumbar spine of the hominins from the Sima de los Huesos site is published by Gómez-Olivencia & Arsuaga (2024).^[55]
• A study on wooden artifacts from Schöningen 13 II-4 (Germany) is published by Leder et al. (2024), who report evidence of the presence of at least 20 hunting weapons as well as evidence of the presence of artifacts which were likely domestic tools, indicating that Schöningen was not only a hunting or butchering site but also a place for domestic activities of the hominins that produced the artifacts.^[56]
• Riga et al. (2024) provide evidence of the presence of a hominin with a more archaic metatarsal morphology compared to Neanderthals at the Sedia del Diavolo site (Italy), which might indicate coexistence of at least two hominin clades in the Italian Peninsula during the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 8.^[57]
• A study on the frequency of enamel hypoplasia in Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic anatomically modern humans is published by Limmer et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of similar overall early life stress levels in both groups, but also as indicative of differences in the likelihood of occurrence of hypoplasia throughout ontogeny which might be related to differences in childcare between the two groups.^[58]
• A study on cut marks on a hyena phalanx bone from the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter (Spain) is published by Moclán et al. (2024), who interpret the studied cut marks as evidence of skinning of the hyena pelt by Neanderthals.^[59]
• Conde-Valverde et al. (2024) report the discovery of remains of a Neanderthal child from Cova Negra (Spain) that lived for at least 6 years in spite of being affected by a debilitating pathology of the inner ear which was likely associated with Down syndrome.^[60]
• Sedrati et al. (2024) report the discovery of Late Pleistocene footprints from a rocky beach in Larache (Morocco) representing the oldest known footprints produced by Homo sapiens reported from Northern Africa and the Southern Mediterranean.^[61]
• Evidence from the Shinfa-Metema 1 site (Ethiopia) indicative of intensive riverine-based foraging approximately 74,000 years ago, likely aided by adoption of the bow and arrow, is presented by Kappelman et al. (2024), who argue that adaptation to foraging along dry-season waterholes might have facilitated human dispersal out of Africa.^[62]
• A study on the mechanical properties of tool-stones from the Diepkloof Rock Shelter (South Africa) is published by Schmidt et al. (2024), who argue that the Middle Stone Age people selected specific rocks that allowed the best trade-off between the expected properties of tools made from the rocks and the ease of acquiring rocks and producing tools.^[63]
• Evidence from the study of ancient and present-day genomes and paleoecological models, interpreted as indicating that the Iranian Plateau likely acted as the hub for Homo sapiens during early phases of migration out of Africa and colonisation of Eurasia, is presented by Vallini et al (2024).^[64]
• Evidence indicating that the choice of global expansion routes of anatomically modern humans beyond Africa was driven by suitable environmental conditions is presented by Saltré et al. (2024).^[65]
• Cave art depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig, painted at least 51,200 years ago and representing the oldest surviving example of representational art reported to date, is described from the Leang Karampuang cave (Sulawesi, Indonesia) by Oktaviana et al. (2024), who also determine the hunting scene from the limestone cave of Leang Bulu' Sipong 4 described by Aubert et al. (2019)^[66] to be painted at least 48,000 years ago, i.e. more than 4,000 years older than initially assumed.^[67]
• Paquin et al. (2024) use habitat suitability models for the Aurignacian technocomplex (interpreted as a proxy for the large scale dispersal of anatomically modern humans into Europe) to determine the impact of climate change and variability on human dispersals into Europe during the Marine Isotope Stage 3.^[68]
• Evidence from the study of human remains from the Ilsenhöhle site in Ranis (Germany), interpreted as indicating that Homo sapiens reached parts of Europe north of the Alps by 45,000 years ago, is presented by Mylopotamitaki et al. (2024);^[69] Pederzani et al. (2024) interpret people from Ilsenhöhle as living in environment characterized by temperatures substantially below modern-day conditions,^[70] while Smith et al. (2024) report evidence interpreted as indicative of low-intensity use of the site, consistent with small, mobile groups occupying different localities for a short time, and indicative of low dietary variability, with a diet based on large terrestrial mammals.^[71]
• Yang et al. (2024) identify an Initial Upper Paleolithic assemblage at the Shiyu site in northern China, providing evidence of expansion of Homo sapiens into eastern Asia by about 45,000 years ago, as well as evidence of development of advanced cultural behaviours by people from the studied site.^[72]
• A study on five Paleolithic sites from the western Hisma Basin (Jordan) is published by Kadowaki et al. (2024), who find that in the studied area a major increase in the cutting-edge productivity happened after the shift from the Levallois technology to the blade technology in the Initial Upper Paleolithic (i.e. after the conventional Middle-Upper Paleolithic boundary), coinciding with the development of bladelet technology in the Early Upper Paleolithic instead, and argue that the Middle-Upper Paleolithic cultural transition was not a single sudden replacement.^[73]
• Evidence from the Abrigo de la Malia site (Tamajón, Guadalajara, Spain), indicative of recurrent presence of anatomically modern humans in inland Iberia during the early and mid-Upper Paleolithic in spite of climate changes that resulted in increase of aridity and trend toward colder conditions, is presented by Sala et al. (2024).^[74]
• Conard & Rots (2024) describe a perforated baton made from mammoth ivory from the Hohle Fels Cave (Germany), and interpret is as a probable Aurignacian rope making tool.^[75]
• Geet al. (2024) provide new age estimates for human remains from the Tongtianyan cave (China), ranging from ~33,000 to 23,000 years ago.^[76]
• Baker et al. (2024) study personal ornaments of European hunter-gatherers living between 34,000 and 24,000 years ago, and interpret them as indicative of existence of nine distinct cultural entities during the time of the existence of the Gravettian technocomplex.^[77]
• Evidence from the Laili rockshelter (East Timor), interpreted as indicative of an abrupt onset of intensive human habitation 44,000 years ago, is presented by Shipton et al. (2024), who consider this human habitation to represent a colonization phase that may have overwhelmed previous human dispersals in Wallacea.^[78]
• Salles et al. (2024) reconstruct the pattern of the peopling of Sahul during the Late Pleistocene from a mechanistic movement model, and interpret their findings as indicative of a wave of dispersal following coastlines and rivers.^[79]
• Evidence from the eastern seaboard of Australia, interpret as indicative of human occupation by 30,000 years ago and possibly as early as 49,000–45,000 years ago, is presented by Adams et al. (2024).^[80]
• Hawkins et al. (2024) report the discovery of remains of a man and a woman interred in a single grave from the Ratu Mali 2 site (Kisar, Indonesia) which are at least 14.7-thousand-years-old, representing the oldest human burials with established funerary rites from Wallacea reported to date.^[81]
• David et al. (2024) report the discovery of 11,000- and 12,000-year-old fireplaces with wooden artefacts at the Cloggs Cave (Australia) matching descriptions of GunaiKurnai ritual installations described in 19th century ethnography, interpreted as evidence of cultural transmission of a ritual practice dating back to the end of the last ice age and continued by approximately 500 generations.^[82]
• A study aiming to identify settings viable for vertebrate and human populations in the north Pacific coast of North America during the growth and decay of the Cordilleran ice sheet, providing new age constraints for human coastal migration into North America, is published by Steffen (2024).^[83]
• The oldest evidence of the use of hare bone for bead production in western North America known to date is reported from the Clovis La Prele Mammoth site (Wyoming, United States) by Surovell et al. (2024).^[84]
• A study on trees associated with Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene campsites from the Atacama Desert is published by Ugalde et al. (2024), who report evidence of the first people living in the area locating their homes under the tree canopy at two sites, and find that the early people in the area spared the most abundant and resilient tree species, which resulted in promoting fertility oases in the desert.^[85]
• Troiano et al. (2024) report the discovery of an association of Early Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs from the Serrote do Letreiro Site (Brazil), and interpret the association as indicating that the engravers acknowledged at least the footprints of theropod dinosaurs and intentionally executed the petroglyphs around them.^[86]
• Evidence from isotope analysis of human remains from Taforalt (Morocco), interpreted as indicative as substantial plant-based component in the diets of the hunter-gatherers from this site during the Later Stone Age, is presented by Moubtahij et al. (2024).^[87]
• Remains of a stonewall, interpreted as most likely used as a driving lane for the reindeer hunt during the Younger Dryas or early Preboreal and thus representing one of the oldest known examples of hunting architecture worldwide and possibly the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe, are described from the Bay of Mecklenburg (Baltic Sea off the German coast) by Geersen et al. (2024).^[88]
• Evidence from ancient DNA from chewed pitch from the Mesolithic Huseby Klev site (Sweden), interpreted as indicating that people from this site suffered from dental diseases similar to modern periodontitis cases, is presented by Kırdök et al. (2024).^[89]
• A study on the genetic ancestries and social dynamics of Late Mesolithic individuals from Téviec, Hoedic and Champigny (France), representing some of the last Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in western Europe, is published by Simões et al. (2024), who report evidence of distinct social units of hunter-gatherers in Brittany that maintained intermarriage networks.^[90]
• Allentoft et al. (2024) present evidence from ancient genomes from Eurasia, interpreted as indicative of existence of a clear genetic division between Eurasian human populations living on the opposite sites of the boundary zone extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic which lasted throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic, with large-scale shifts in genetic ancestry related to the arrival of the Early European Farmers visible only in the areas west of the boundary zone, and dissolving only after the spread of the Western Steppe Herders across western Eurasia.^[91]
• A study on human demographic trends in 16 regions throughout 30,000 years of human history, providing evidence that frequent disturbances enhanced populations' capacity to resist and recover from later downturns, is published by Riris et al. (2024).^[92]
• Morton-Hayward et al. (2024) compile an archive of human brains preserved in the archaeological record spanning approximately 12,000 years, identifying a total of 4405 preserved human brains, including 1308 brains preserved as the only soft tissue among skeletonized remains.^[93]

Rodents[edit]

Rodent research[edit]

• Zack & Penkrot (2024) describe new fossil material of Lophiparamys debequensis from the Eocene Willwood Formation (Wyoming, United States), providing new information on the anatomy of this rodent and representing its first record from the Bighorn Basin.^[100]
• Description of the fossil material of Pleistocene flying squirrels from the Yumidong Cave (Chongqing, China), and a study on the implications of the studied fossils for reconstructions of the environments in the Yumidong Cave area from MIS 5toMIS 2, is published by Pang et al. (2024).^[101]
• Halaçlar et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Hystrix primigenia from the Miocene Asartepe Formation (Turkey) and reevaluate the fossil material of members of the genus Hystrix from Turkey, arguing that Hystrix depereti is absent from the Late Miocene fossil record in Turkey.^[102]
• Bertrand et al. (2024) describe the virtual brain endocastofIncamys bolivianus, reporting evidence of enhanced audition and sound processing which might have been adaptations to group living and complex communication.^[103]
• Evidence indicating that Erethizon poyeri had a long, prehensile tail, grasping foot, and lacked dental specializations for bark gnawing - unlike extant North American porcupine but more closely resembling extant prehensile-tailed porcupines - is presented by Vitek et al. (2024).^[104]
• Taxonomic revision of fossils of members of the tribe Lemmini from the Early and Middle Pleistocene of Europe is published by Louis et al. (2024).^[105]

Other euarchontoglires[edit]

Miscellaneous euarchontoglires research[edit]

• Purported paromomyid "Arcius" ilerdensis is reinterpreted as a member of the family Apatemyidae and transferred to the genus Heterohyus by Beard & Métais (2024).^[108]
• A study on the affinities picrodontids, as indicated by the anatomy of the skull of Zanycteris paleocenus, is published by Crowell, Wible & Chester (2024), who argue that picrodontids were not stem primates or even euarchontans.^[109]
• Schap et al. (2024) report evidence indicative of a strong relationship of tooth crown height in extant African rodents and lagomorphs with annual precipitation (but not with mean annual temperature), and find that tooth crown height of rodents and lagomorphs from fossil sites in eastern Africa can be used to estimate past annual precipitation and shifting precipitation patterns.^[110]

Laurasiatherians[edit]

Artiodactyls[edit]

Cetaceans[edit]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Adicetus[111]	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Figueiredo et al.	Miocene		Portugal	A member of the family Cetotheriidae. The type species is "Cetotherium" vandelli Van Beneden & Gervais (1871); genus also includes "Aulocetus" latus Kellogg (1941).
Aureia[112]	Gen. et sp. nov		Meekin, Fordyce & Coste	Oligocene	Otekaike Limestone Formation	New Zealand	A member of the superfamily Platanistoidea. The type species is A. rerehua.
Echericetus[113]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Hernández-Cisneros et al.	Oligocene	El Cien Formation	Mexico	A member of the family Eomysticetidae. The type species is E. novellus.
Eolipotes[114]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Kimura & Hasegawa	Miocene		Japan	A member of the family Lipotidae. The type species is E. japonicus.
Fucaia humilis[115]	Sp. nov	Valid	Tsai et al.	Eocene	Lincoln Creek Formation	United States ( Washington)	A member of the family Aetiocetidae.
Incakujira fordycei[116]	Sp. nov	Valid	Kimura & Hasegawa	Miocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	Arorqual.
Mamaziphius[117]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Bianucci et al.	Miocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	Abeaked whale. The type species is M. reyesi.
Pebanista[118]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Benites-Palomino et al.	Miocene	Pebas Formation	Peru	A close relative of the South Asian river dolphin. The type species is P. yacuruna.
Tohoraonepu[119]	Gen. et sp. nov		Corrie & Fordyce	Oligocene	Kokoamu Greensand	New Zealand	A member of the family Kekenodontidae. The species species is T. nihokaiwaiu.

Cetacean research[edit]

• A vertebra of a small-bodied member of the genus Pachycetus, showing low compactness compared to vertebrae of larger members of this genus, is described from the Western Scheldt Estuary at the Belgian-Dutch border (probably from the Bartonian Maldegem Formation) by van Vliet et al. (2024).^[120]
• Motani & Pyenson (2024) reevaluate the published body mass estimates of Perucetus colossus, and consider the likeliest body mass of the studied cetacean to fall within the 60–70 ton range.^[121]
• Tsai, Kimura & Hasegawa (2024) describe an aetiocetid skull from the Jinnobaru Formation of the Ashiya Group (Japan), and interpret this finding as indicative of coexistence of toothed and baleen-assisted mysticetes in the northwestern Pacific during the Oligocene.^[122]
• Nobile et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a member of the genus Kentriodon from the Lower Miocene Bolago Marl (Friulian-Venetian Basin, Italy), representing the first unambiguous record of this genus from Europe reported to date, and interpreted by the authors as likely to be the fossil material of the most ancient member of the genus.^[123]
• The conclusions of the study of Peredo, Pyenson & Uhem (2022), who argued that the presence of lateral palatal foramina alone cannot be used to infer the presence of baleen in mysticetes,^[124] are contested by Ekdale et al. (2024), who argue that terrestrial artiodactyls do not have lateral palatal foramina as in baleen whales, and argue that the presence of lateral palatal foramina in stem mysticetes is likely an indicators of the presence of baleen.^[125]
• A probable mysticete tooth with similarities to cheek teeth of Llanocetus denticrenatus is described from the Oligocene Alzey Formation (Germany) by Hampe & von der Hocht (2024).^[126]
• Tanaka (2024) reports evidence indicative of the existence of a relationship between basihyal-thyrohyal shape and feeding strategy in baleen whales, and argues that the earliest members of Chaeomysticeti fed exclusively on small prey using the baleen plates for filtering, and that dietary preferences of members of Chaeomysticeti diversified later in their evolutionary history.^[127]
• Review of the fossil record of eomysticetids from New Zealand is published by Boessenecker & Richards (2024).^[128]
• Evidence indicating that New Zealand rocks preserve the first assemblage of Aquitanian baleen whale fossils reported worldwide is presented by Marx et al. (2024).^[129]
• Aiken et al. (2024) report the earliest cetacean remains in the Black Sea region, and report that the harbour porpoise, the common bottlenose dolphin and the common dolphin were present in the Bosphorus as early as 8000–7800 years ago, and that cetaceans reached the northern and northeastern Black Sea, including the Kerch Strait, by 5500 years ago at the latest.^[130]

Other artiodactyls[edit]

Other artiodactyl research[edit]

• Ducrocq et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Siamochoerus banmarkensis from the late Eocene strata from the Krabi coal mine (Thailand), and interpret the anatomy of the studied remains as indicating that Siamochoerus was closer to the Suidae than to any other suoid family.^[135]
• McKenzie et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of tetraconodontines and suine suids from the Vallesian site of Castell de Barberà (Spain), and interpret the studied fossils as indicating that Parachleuastochoerus valentini is a distinct species, and indicating that Versoporcus grivensis is a junior synonymofV. steinheimensis.^[136]
• Iannucci (2024) describes 1.47-million-years-old fragment of a metatarsal bone of a member of the genus Sus from the Peyrolles site (France), providing evidence of the presence of suids in Europe within the 1.8-to-1.2-million-years-ago interval.^[137]
• A study on the morphological diversity of metapodials of extant and fossil giraffids is published by Martino et al. (2024).^[138]
• Laskos & Kostopoulos (2024) review the fossil material of members of the genus Palaeogiraffa, interpreting it as a genus distinct from other Late Miocene giraffids, likely related to the sivatherine lineage.^[139]
• Laskos & Kostopoulos (2024) describe new fossil material of Palaeotragus inexspectatus from Villafranchian localities in Greece, and interpret almost all fossils of Villafranchian Eurasian giraffids as belonging to members of a single species of Palaeotragus, P. inexspectatus.^[140]
• A study on the fossil material of the Pleistocene Dama-like deer from Pirro Nord (Italy), providing evidence of endocranial morphology indicative of closer relationship with extant fallow deers than with other Pleistocene forms and evidence of adaptations for grass-rich diet in open habitats, is published by Strani et al. (2024).^[141]
• A study on changes of the distribution of the European fallow deer throughout its evolutionary history, as indicated by ancient and modern DNA, is published by Baker et al. (2024), who report that, although the range of this species covered most of Europe during the Eemian interglacial, it retreated to southern refugia during the last glacial period and did not disperse north afterwards, but rather was translocated by humans.^[142]
• A study on the distribution of the European and Persian fallow deers throughout the last 10,000 years, as inferred from zooarchaeological and biomolecular analysis of ancient and modern remains, historical sources and iconography, is published by Baker et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that after the Last Glacial Maximum the European fallow deer was likely restricted to Anatolia and the Balkans, while the range of the Persian fallow deer extended further west than previously proposed, as it was present at the Bronze Age/early Iron Age sites of Kinet Höyük and Kilise Tepe (Anatolia, Turkey).^[143]
• A study on the tooth wear in fossil bovids from the Tugen Hills Succession of the Baringo Basin (Kenya) is published by Greiner et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of increase of mixed-feeding behaviors in post-Miocene bovids.^[144]
• New fossil material of Miocene bovids is described from five localities from the Middle Siwalik (Pakistan) by Naz et al. (2024), who interpret the studied fossils as indicative of moist environment with abundant small bodies of standing water.^[145]
• Bai, Dong & Zhang (2024) describe fossil material of members of the genus Euceratherium from the Pleistocene strata in the Gonghe Basin, Nihewan Basin and Xinyaozi Ravine (China), representing the first record of members of the genus outside North America reported to date.^[146]
• Study on the relationship between distal humerus morphology and habitat preference, body mass and tribe affiliation in extant bovids is published by Anderson, Kovarovic & Barr (2024), who also study the humerus morphology of Rusingoryx atopocranion, support its assignment to the tribe Alcelaphini, and interpret it as adapted for life in open grassland habitats.^[147]
• A study on the dietary ecology of bisons from the Pleistocene North America, as indicated by isotopic data from tooth enamel, is published by Hardy & Rowland (2024), who find evidence of mixed feeding behavior in Bison latifrons and Bison antiquus, interpreted as feeding on C₄ plants but incorporating C₃ plants into their diets when available.^[148]
• The holotype specimen of a purported phocid Afrophoca libyca is reinterpreted as a bone of the anthracothere Afromeryx zelteni by Pickford & De Muizon (2024).^[149]
• Fidalgo et al. (2024) review the fossil record of hippopotamids on the Iberian Peninsula during the Quaternary, an interpret the fossil record as suggestive of a brief coexistence of Hippopotamus antiquus and the hippopotamus close to the extinction of the former species.^[150]
• Martino et al. (2024) describe fossil material of Hippopotamus cf. antiquus from Malagrotta, and interpret this finding as indicative of longer survival of the species in central Italy than in Portugal and Greece, i.e. slightly after 450,000 years ago.^[151]
• Martino et al. (2024) describe a mandible of the hippopotamus from the Fosso Malafede site (Latium, Italy) and revise the fossil record of the hippopotamus from southern Europe, interpreting the species as spread in the Italian Peninsula during the MIS 7.^[152]
• Review of the fossil record of Italian hippopotamids from the Middle Pleistocene is published by Mecozzi et al. (2024).^[153]
• Patel et al. (2024) describe the anatomy of the skull of Indohyus indirae, reporting evidence of the presence of a combination of features seen in terrestrial even-toed ungulates, Eocene cetaceans and more recent, aquatic cetaceans.^[154]
• New cranial material of Khirtharia, providing new information on the skull anatomy of this raoellid, is described by Waqas et al. (2024).^[155]

Carnivorans[edit]

Carnivoran research[edit]

• Kargopoulos et al. (2024) revise the carnivoran material from the Neogene of eastern Romania, reporting the presence of Pristifelis attica, a member of the genus Paludolutra (extending known geographic range of both taxa) and Protictitherium crassum (providing evidence of the presence of the species in central-eastern Europe after the transition from the Vallesian to the Turolian), and redescribe the type material of Lutra? rumana and "Promephitis" malustenensis.^[162]
• A mandible of a probable member of the genus Magericyon, likely representing a new species, is described from the Miocene Linxia Basin (China) by Jiangzuo et al. (2024), expanding known diversity of amphicyonids from eastern Asia.^[163]
• A study on the allometry of the baculum in extant and extinct canids is published by de Latorre & Marshall (2024).^[164]
• Bartolini-Lucenti et al. (2024) present a virtual reconstruction of the lectotype specimen of Canis arnensis.^[165]
• A study on genomes of Japanese wolves and dogs is published by Gojobori et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that the Japanese wolf was the closest known relative of the extinct gray wolf population which was ancestral to dogs, as well as indicative of an ancient genomic introgression from the Japanese wolf ancestry to dogs which likely happened before the dog's arrival in the Japanese archipelago.^[166]
• A study on the evolution of teeth of the giant panda is published by Jiangzuo et al. (2024), who find no evidence of significant differences between teeth of different members of the genus Ailuropoda, and argue that the basic function of the giant panda teeth was constant since the Early Pleistocene.^[167]
• Villalba de Alvarado et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of the Asian black bear from the Pleistocene sites in Spain, including postcranial remains which fit within the range of morphological variation of extant members of the species.^[168]
• Kastelic Kovačič et al. (2024) present a novel approach to sampling dental collagen which can be used to determine the diet and behavior of cave bears throughout their life, and apply their methods to cave bears remains from the Divje babe I cave (Slovenia), interpreting their findings as indicative of differences in the carbon isotope values from tooth collagen of hibernating individuals and those that failed to hibernate, as well as indicating that the juvenile cave bears did not suckle milk after the first hibernation.^[169]
• A study on the paleobiology of cave bears from the Kletno Bear Cave (Poland), providing evidence of episodes of malnutrition affecting young bears, of forelimb fractures and of diseases such as tuberculosis, abscesses and rickets, is published by Marciszak et al. (2024).^[170]
• Faggi et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Meles thorali from the Early Pleistocene locality Saint-Vallier (France), and interpret M. thorali as a taxon distinct from the European badger and closely related to Meles teilhardi.^[171]
• Marciszak & Nagel (2024) revise fossil material of martens from the Pleistocene sites Deutsch Altenburg 2 and 4 (Austria), interpreting the studied fossils as most likely belonging to members of only one species, Martes vetus.^[172]
• Faggi, Bartolini-Lucenti & Rook (2024) describe new fossil material of Tyrrhenolutra from the Late Miocene localities in Italy and interpret Tyrrhenolutra helbingi as a junior synonymof"Paludolutra" maremmana, resulting in a new combination Tyrrhenolutra maremmana.^[173]
• A study on the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of extant and fossil pan-pinnipeds is published by Park et al. (2024).^[174]
• A study on the vertebral columns of extant pinnipeds and fossil stem pinnipeds, providing evidence of a shift from the evolution of diverse vertebral morphotypes to the constrained evolution of the vertebral column at the time of the major radiation of crown pinnipeds approximately 10–12 million years ago, is published by Esteban et al. (2024).^[175]
• Rule, Burin & Park (2024) find that ecomorphotype groupings are not reliably useful for assigning isolated earless seal fossils to known or new taxa, and consider the majority of extinct earless seal species to be nomina dubia.^[176]
• Valenzuela-Toro, Gutstein & Suárez (2024) describe new fossil material of earless seals from the Bahía Inglesa Formation (Chile), including the first record of Hadrokirus martini outside Peru, a member of the genus Acrophoca morphologically distinguishable from A. longirostris, and four indeterminate seals with considerable morphological differences from known contemporaneous taxa.^[177]
• A study on the morphological diversity of the upper canine teeth of the saber-tooth feliforms is published by Shelbourne & Lautenschlager (2024).^[178]
• A study on the Ictitherium ebu of Ictitherium ebu is published by van der Hoek & Werdelin (2024), who interpret I. ebu as unlikely to be cursorial, and interpret its long slender limbs as likely indicative of ecology similar to that of the maned wolf.^[179]
• A study on teeth of members of the hyaenid lineages leading to the brown hyena and Pachycrocuta brevirostris and on their phylogenetic relationships is published by Pérez-Claros (2024), who interprets Pachycrocuta perrieri as ancestral to P. brevirostris in Eurasia and to the brown hyena in Africa, and proposes the inclusion the brown hyena and "Hyaena" prisca into the genus Pachycrocuta.^[180]
• A study on the tempo and mode of evolution of the skull of nimravids and felids is published by Chatar et al. (2024), who find evidence of a continuous spectrum of shape variationin in the cranium and mandible rather than a distinctive sabertooth morphology, and find that sabertooth adaptations arose in clades with less integrated skulls.^[181]
• A study on the cranial mechanics of Barbourofelis fricki and Smilodon fatalis is published by Figueirido, Tucker & Lautenschlager (2024), who interpret the skull of B. fricki as overall more stress-resistant than the skull of S. fatalis, with the latter taxon experiencing lower stresses only in a stabbing scenario, and interpret their findings as suggestive of different killing behavior of the studied taxa.^[182]
• Salesa et al. (2024) provide evidence of specimens of Machairodus aphanistus from the Miocene of Cerro de los Batallones (Spain) being affected by bone pathologies that reduced their hunting abilities, and interpret the temporary survival of the studied individuals in spite of the pathologies as consistent with existence of a degree of sociality in M. aphanistus that might have given the affected individuals access to carcasses hunted by other members of the species.^[183]
• Moretti et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a member of the genus Homotherium from the McFaddin Beach (Texas, United States), interpreted as likely originating from submerged deposits on the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico that were exposed in the Late Pleistocene.^[184]
• Stimpson (2024) revises fossil material of Megantereon from the Siwaliks (India), and confirms Megantereon falconeri as a distinct species.^[185]
• A study on bending strength and stiffness changes during the eruption of the adult canines in Smilodon fatalis is published by Tseng (2024), who find evidence of decrease of bending stiffness of the adult canines during their eruption, but also finds that retention of the deciduous canines helped to effectively overcome the reduced bending stiffness of the adult canines.^[186]
• Evidence indicating that Smilodon fatalis underwent a shift in mandibular shape related to the eruption of the lower carnassial later in its ontogeny than extant lions do, and reached high efficiency to perform an anchor bite late in its ontogeny, is presented by Chatar et al. (2024), who argue that juveniles of S. fatalis might have remained under parental care longer than lions do.^[187]
• A study on the gape and bite force of Smilodon fatalis, providing estimates of bite force similar to that of the jaguar, is published by Deutsch et al. (2024)^[188]
• Jiangzuo et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Acinonyx pleistocaenicus from the Middle Pleistocene strata in Zhoukoudian and in the Jinyuan Cave (China), representing the latest and the largest-bodied member of the species; the authors consider A. pleistocaenicus to be a species distinct from Acinonyx pardinensis, and interpret Acinonyx intermedius as migrating from Africa into Asia around the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary and replacing A. pleistocaenicus.^[189]

Chiropterans[edit]

Chiropteran research[edit]

• A study on the phylogenetic relationships of Paleogene bats is published by Jones, Beard & Simmons (2024).^[191]
• Giannini et al. (2024) study the flight capabilities of Onychonycteris finneyi and modeled intermediate bat forms, find O. finneyi to be capable of both gliding and flapping flight, and find the ability of the modeled intermediate forms to switch from gliding to flapping fight to be facilitated by denser atmosphere estimated for the Eocene.^[192]

Eulipotyphlans[edit]

Eulipotyphlan research[edit]

• Averianov & Voyta (2024) reinterpret fossil material of a putative Triassic stem mammal Tikitherium copei as a tooth of a Neogene shrew.^[195]
• Furió, Minwer-Barakat & García-Alix (2024) reinterpret fossil material of putative European afrosoricid Europotamogale melkarti as remains of a water-mole of the genus Archaeodesmana.^[196]
• Taxonomic revision of the fossil material of Late Pleistocene and Holocene shrews from the Koridornaya Cave (Russian Far East) is published by Omelko & Tiunov (2024).^[197]

Perissodactyls[edit]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Megacanodon[198]	Gen. et sp. nov		Luet al.	Oligocene	Jiaozigou Formation	China	A member of Rhinocerotoidea. The type species is M. dongxiangense.
Plesiaceratherium tongxinense[199]	Sp. nov	Valid	Sun, Deng & Wang	Miocene		China	Anaceratheriine rhinoceros.

Perissodactyl research[edit]

• Kampouridis et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a member of the genus Anisodon and an indeterminate schizotheriine from the Hammerschmiede clay pit (Germany), and interpret the presence of chalicotheriine and schizotheriine remains in different horizons in Hammerschmiede as indicating that chalicotheriines and schizotheriines preferred different environments.^[200]
• A tooth of a large herbivorous mammal from the Diahot region of New Caledonia, which was identified by different authors either as a tooth of a rhinoceros or a tooth of the marsupial Zygomaturus diahotensis, is identified by Affholder, Antoine & Beck (2024) as a tooth of Brachypotherium brachypus that was taken to New Caledonia by a European colonist in the 19th century.^[201]
• A study on the ecology of Mesaceratherium paulhiacense and Protaceratherium minutum from the Miocene (Aquitanian) Ulm-Westtangente locality (Germany) is published by Hullot et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of different feeding preferences of the studied species.^[202]
• Liet al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Pliorhinus ringstroemi from the Miocene deposits from the Linxia Basin (China), providing new information on the skeletal anatomy of this species, interpret P. ringstroemi as a distinct species related to P. megarhinus and P. miguelcrusafonti, and argue that Pliorhinus might have originated in Asia and migrated to Europe at the latest Miocene.^[203]
• A study on the ecology of members of the genus Coelodonta from East Asia, as inferred from stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from their remains, is published by Ma, Wang & Deng (2024), who report evidence of flexible foraging ecologies of Coelodonta nihowanensis in different environments it lived in, and interpret Coelodonta thibetana and the woolly rhinoceros as more likely to be grazers.^[204]
• Fordham et al. (2024) reconstruct population dynamics of the woolly rhinoceros, and interpret its extinction as caused by combination of climate-driven habitat fragmentation and low but sustained hunting by humans.^[205]
• A study on the fossil record of Miocene and Pliocene horses from the Upper Bone Valley Formation (Florida, United States) is published by Killingsworth & MacFadden (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that both sampling bias and ecological causes might be responsible for the presence or absence of different horse taxa at fossil sites.^[206]

Other laurasiatherians[edit]

Miscellaneous laurasiatherian research[edit]

• Badin et al. (2024) describe new proterotheriid material from the Miocene Camacho FormationofUruguay and the Loma de Las Tapias and Cerro Azul formations of Argentina, and expand the diagnosis of Neobrachytherium ullumense.^[209]
• Schmidt, Armella & Bonini (2024) describe new proterotheriid material from the Andalhuala and Corral Quemado formations (Argentina), interpret known distribution of proterotheriid species as confirming a regional ecological distinction between western and eastern parts of northern Argentina during the late Neogene, and consider ?Proterotherium simplicidens to be a junior synonymofNeobrachytherium intermedium.^[210]
• Armella, García-López & Croft (2024) describe the cranial morphology of a juvenile individual of Neobrachytherium intermedium from the Pliocene Andalhuala Formation (Argentina), reporting evidence of age-related changes of cranial traits in Neobrachytherium.^[211]
• A study on changes in the skull and teeth of Coquenia bondi during its ontogeny is published by Deraco, Abdala & García-López (2024).^[212]
• Evidence from the study of tooth enamel carbon isotope composition in Miocene to Pleistocene toxodontids from Argentina, interpreted as indicative of gradual shift from the consumption of C₃ plantstoC₄ plants, is presented by Sanz-Pérez et al. (2024).^[213]
• Ferrero et al. (2024) describe fossil material of Posnanskytherium desaguaderoi from the Pliocene Tafna Formation, representing the first record of the genus Posnanskytherium from Argentina and the southernmost record of this genus reported to date.^[214]
• Description of bone pathologies of two specimens of Toxodon platensis, including the first report of osteomyelitis in a notoungulate, is published by Luna et al. (2024).^[215]
• Fernández-Monescillo & Tauber (2024) report evidence indicative of decline in the size and body mass in the last known population of Mesotherium cristatum from the Bonaerian of the Corralito site (Argentina), interpreted as related to environmental changes in South America during the Pleistocene which caused reduction of the distribution area of M. cristatum.^[216]
• Armella et al. (2024) describe new notoungulate material from the India Muerta Formation (Tucumán Province, Argentina), including fossils of two toxodontids, one mesotheriid and four hegetotheriids, and interpret the studied fossils as indicative of Tortonian age of the fossiliferous levels of the India Muerta Formation.^[217]
• 15 reports about exceptionally well-preserved paleoparadoxiid desmostylian from Gifu Prefecture, Japan are published, this specimen is called as “Paleoparadoxiid Mizunami-Kamado specimen”, known from Lower Miocene Shukunohara Formation. Reports include estimation of age, osteology, classification, accompanied biota, skeletal and life reconstructions.^[218]

Xenarthrans[edit]

Cingulatans[edit]

Cingulatan research[edit]

• Asakura & Oliveira (2024) study the histology of osteodermsofGlyptotherium, Holmesina, Pachyarmatherium, Pampatherium, Glyptodon and Doedicurus, providing evidence of features which were likely biomechanical adaptations, as well as evidence of similarity of osteoderms of Pachyarmatherium brasiliense and extant armadillos belonging to the group Dasypodinae/Dasipodini, which might be indicative of their phylogenetic affinity.^[219]

Pilosans[edit]

Pilosan research[edit]

• Lee et al. (2024) describe fossil material of a small-bodied member of the genus Hapalops from the Miocene (Burdigalian) Pampa Castillo site, including the first natural endocast of an extinct mammal from Chile reported to date, and determine the encephalization quotient of the studied sloth as lower than that of extant tree sloths, but higher than that of late Pleistocene ground sloths.^[220]
• Review of the nomenclatural history and authorship of Megalonyx and its type species is published by Babcock (2024).^[221]
• Fossil material of a probable previously unidentified ground sloth taxon belonging to the genus Nothrotherium is described from the Abismo Ponta de Flecha cave (São Paulo, Brazil) by Chahud et al. (2024).^[222]

Other eutherians[edit]

Miscellaneous eutherian research[edit]

• A study on cervical vertebrae of Zalambdalestes lechei, providing evidence of axis morphology with no close analog among living mammals, is published by Arnold et al. (2024), who interpret Zalambdalestes as having a neck capable of powerful tugging movements, which might have been used to extract soft-bodied prey from tight hideouts or to immobilize prey through shaking, and argue that Zalambdalestes may have had spinous or bristly fur at the ruff and back.^[223]
• Description of the anatomy of the basicranium of Leptictis haydeni is published by Wible & Bertrand (2024).^[224]

Metatherians[edit]

Metatherian research[edit]

• Description of the anatomy of the skull of Sipalocyon externus and a study on its paleoecology is published by Gaillard et al. (2024).^[227]
• Wessels, van de Weerd & Marković (2024) describe fossil material of herpetotheriids from the early Oligocene strata in southeastern Serbia, representing species which are also known from Western Europe and confirming the ability of herpetotheriids to cross geographical barriers and disperse over large areas.^[228]
• Carneiro et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Carolocoutoia ferigoloi from the Eocene Itaboraí Basin (Brazil), and interpret Carolocoutoia as the sister taxonofProtodidelphis and as a specialized frugivore.^[229]
• Huet al. (2024) estimate blood flow rates in the femora of extinct kangaroos belonging to the genera Macropus, Protemnodon, Sthenurus, Simosthenurus and Procoptodon, and interpret their findings as suggesting that the locomotion of the studied kangaroos involved applying greater forces to the leg bones compared to the locomotion of extant kangaroos.^[230]
• Murphy et al. (2024) study the astragalus of sthenurine and macropodine kangaroos, providing evidence of different patterns of stress on the astragalus in sthenurines and macropodines, as well as in extant and extinct macropodines, which might be related to different patterns of locomotion.^[231]
• Redescription of "Silvaroo" buloloensis is published by Kerr & Prideaux (2024), who transfer this species to the genus Dorcopsoides.^[232]
• A tooth representing the first fossil material of a member of the genus Protemnodon from the lowland part of New Guinea is described from the Lachitu Cave (Papua New Guinea) by Koungoulos, Flannery & O'Connor (2024).^[233]
• Jones & Janis (2024) study the relationship between limb proportions and locomotion in kangaroos, and interpret large species of Protemnodon as most likely predominantly quadrupedal.^[234]
• A study on the probable predatory mode of Thylacosmilus and Thylacoleo is published by Janis (2024), who argues that Thylacosmilus was unlikely to be able to kill its prey in the manner similar to the one used by Smilodon, and was more likely to be a specialized scavenger, while Thylacoleo was more likely to have a predatory lifestyle similar to that proposed for sabertoothed placentals.^[235]

Monotremes[edit]

Other mammals[edit]

Other mammalian research[edit]

• Evidence indicating that aspects of both shape and size of the lower fourth premolar can contribute to distinguishing between species belonging to the multituberculate genus Mesodma is presented by Ashbaugh et al. (2024).^[241]
• Magallanes et al. (2024) describe a new specimen of Dryolestes priscus from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (Wyoming, United States), and characterize diagnostic features on the molar trigonid of D. priscus and other dryolestids.^[242]

General mammalian research[edit]

• A study comparing the utility of regression models derived from different skeletal predictors for estimating body mass of Mesozoic mammals is published by Huang et al. (2024).^[243]
• Evidence from phylogenetic and fossil data, interpreted as indicative of increased speciation rates of mammals before and during the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition, is presented by Quintero, Lartillot & Morlon (2024), who argue that the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event filtered out more slowly speciating mammalian lineages, and that later diversity of mammals was brought about by separate, fast-speciating mammalian lineages.^[244]
• A study on the structure of American mammal communities throughout the Cenozoic is published by Shupinski et al. (2024), who report evidence of shifts in fuctional diversity associated with major ecological and environmental transitions, and evidence of immediate increase in functional diversity after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.^[245]
• Jones, Travouillon & Janis (2024) compare variation in the hindlimb proportions of extant jerboas and extinct argyrolagids, providing evidence of convergent elongation of metatarsal which might be caused by metatarsal fusion and loss in the studied groups and by greater reliance on bipedalism.^[246]
• Evidence of the impact of the rate of landscape changes on the mammalian diversity in the Basin and Range Province in western United States over the past 30 million years is presented by Smiley et al. (2024).^[247]
• Calede et al. (2024) report the discovery of the first Arikareean mammal fossils from the Kishnehn Formation (Montana, United States), representing the northernmost records of Paciculus montanus, Pronodens transmontanus and a member of the genus Miohippus from the Rocky Mountains reported to date.^[248]
• A study on the diet of mammalian herbivores from the Miocene Buluk site (Kenya), as indicated by stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of tooth enamel, is published by Arney et al. (2024), who find no evidence of a significant C₄ component in diets of the studied herbivores, in spite of evidence for the presence of C₄ vegetation at Buluk.^[249]
• A study on dietary habits of late Miocene ungulates and carnivorans from the Neogene savanna in the northern Black Sea region, as indicated by tooth wear in fossils from the sites of Grebeniki (Ukraine), Cioburciu 1 and Tudorovo (Moldova), is published by Rivals et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of diverse dietary adaptations of the studied ungulates, with rhinoceroses Aceratherium incisivum and Chilotherium schlosseri interpreted as grazers, and with hipparions interpreted as browsers or mixed-feeders.^[250]
• A study on predator–prey interactions in the Iberian Peninsula over the last 20 million years, providing evidence of the impact of the loss of medium-sized herbivores on patterns of extinction and persistence among predators, is published by Nascimento et al. (2024).^[251]
• Evidence indicating that climate changes (particularly cooling) had impact on mammal dispersals during the Great American Interchange is presented by Freitas-Oliveira et al. (2024).^[252]
• Freitas-Oliveira, Lima-Ribeiro & Terribile (2024) argue that Thylacosmilus had a narrower climatic niche than Smilodon (and likely was more vulnerable to the climate change), and consider it unlikely that the extinction of Thylacosmilus was caused by competition with Smilodon.^[253]
• Hanon et al. (2024) describe Plio-Pleistocene bovid material from the Kromdraai Unit P (South Africa), including fossil material of a previously unknown buffalo that could be closely related to Syncerus acoelotus and possible oldest fossils of members of the genera Damaliscus and Numidocapra (as well as Paranthropus robustus) in southern Africa, and interpret the studied bovids as indicative of a grassland-dominated environment; the authors also study other associations of bovid and hominin bones from Plio-Pleistocene South African sites, and find than members of the genus Australopithecus were associated with bovids adapted to woodlands and closed-wet environments and that members of the genus Homo were found with bovids adapted to open and dry environments, while members of the genus Paranthropus were found in association with bovids adapted to various environments.^[254]
• A study on the dietary guild structures of Pliocene herbivores from the Laetoli site (Tanzania) is published by Fillion & Harrison (2024), who argue that the replacement of Australopithecus afarensisbyParanthropus aethiopicus at the Laetoli site was related to an increase in grass cover within a woodland-grassland mosaic.^[255]
• A study in environments inhabited by early members of the genus Homo in Africa and Eurasia, as indicated by dental traits of mammals from these environments, is published by Foister et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that Early Pleistocene members of the genus Homo were able to occupy diverse environments, and that their expansion into Eurasia likely resulted in a niche expansion.^[256]
• A study on changes of ecospace occupancy of European carnivorans throughout the Pleistocene is published by Iannucci (2024), who finds that hominins entered Europe at the time when the continent lacked middle-sized carnivorans that were either highly social active hunters or primarily scavengers, and that hominins had the opportunity to fill a vacant ecospace at the time.^[257]
• Carrillo-Briceño et al. (2024) describe a new assemblage of mammal fossils from the Pleistocene site Cauca (Venezuela), including fossils of xenarthran megaherbivores, gomphotheres and equids, as well as fossil material of the ocelot or a related medium-sized feline, representing the first record of fossil material of cf. Leopardus pardalis in north-western Venezuela.^[258]
• A study on the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of remains of Eremotherium laurillardi, Notiomastodon platensis and Toxodon platensis from the Zabelê tank in the northeastern Brazil, providing evidence that the studied mammals lived in a transition zone between arboreal to open savanna and had a mixed-feeder diet with a higher consumption of C₄ plants compared to mammals from other Late Pleistocene localities in the Brazilian Intertropical Region, is published by Andrade, Dantas & Oliveira (2024).^[259]
• Evidence from the cave site of Grotta Grande (Salerno, Campania, Italy), interpreted as indicating that during the Marine Isotope Stage 5 the abandonment of the Neanderthal camp at the site was likely immediately followed by scavenging of remains left by Neanderthals by the spotted hyena, is presented by Spagnolo et al. (2024).^[260]
• A study on the ecology of prey species that Neanderthals depended on during the Late Pleistocene, as indicated by strontium isotope data from teeth from the Pech de l'Azé IV and Roc de Marsal sites (France), is published by Hodgkins et al. (2024), who find that the ranges of reindeers and bisons were restricted to the Aquitaine and Paris basins, where they were available year-round to the Neanderthal hunters, while horses and red deers had broader ranges and may have ventured into the mountainous regions.^[261]
• A study on the strontium isotope composition of remains of bovids and equids from Kenya living during the Last Glacial Period is published by O'Brien et al. (2024), who find that only Rusingoryx atopocranion and Megalotragus sp. were migratory, while finding no definitive evidence for migration in other studied taxa, including those which are long-distance migrants in the present.^[262]
• A study on human prey selection criteria and on their impact on Pleistocene megafauna extinctions is published by Ben-Dor & Barkai (2024), who argue that limited protein metabolism capacity in humans led them to hunt prey (especially large-bodied taxa and prime adults) that were fat-rich but were more sensitive to hunting pressure than smaller prey.^[263]

References[edit]