The late Pleistocene horned crocodile <i>Voay robustus</i> (Grandidier & Vaillant, 1872) from Madagascar in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Crocodylian material from late Pleistocene localities around Antsirabe, Madagascar, stored in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, was surveyed. Several skeletal elements, including skull bones, vertebrae, ribs, osteoderms, and limb bones from at least three large individuals could b...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2009-02-01
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| Series: | Fossil Record |
| Online Access: | http://www.foss-rec.net/12/13/2009/fr-12-13-2009.pdf |
| Summary: | Crocodylian material from late Pleistocene localities around Antsirabe, Madagascar, stored in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, was surveyed. Several skeletal elements, including skull bones, vertebrae, ribs, osteoderms, and limb bones from at least three large individuals could be unambiguously assigned to the genus <i>Voay</i> Brochu, 2007. Furthermore, the simultaneous occurrence of <i>Voay robustus</i> Grandidier & Vaillant, 1872 and <i>Crocodylus niloticus</i> Laurenti, 1768 in Madagascar is discussed. <i>Voay robustus</i> and <i>Crocodylus niloticus</i> are systematically separate but similar in stature and size, which would make them direct rivals for ecological resources. Our hypothesis on the extinction of the species Voay, which was endemic to Madagascar, suggests that <i>C. niloticus</i> invaded Madagascar only after <i>V. robustus</i> became extinct.
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doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200800007" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.200800007</a> |
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| ISSN: | 2193-0066 2193-0074 |