Hippopotamus antiquus

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Hippopotamus antiquus
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene-Middle Pleistocene 2.1–0.4  Ma
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Museo di paleologia, scheletro di hippopotamus antiquus, recuperato presso figline valdarno.JPG
Hippopotamus antiquus in Florence Palaeontology museum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Genus: Hippopotamus
Species:
†H. antiquus
Binomial name
†Hippopotamus antiquus
Desmarest 1822 [1]
Synonyms
  • Hippopotamus amphibius antiquus
  • Hippopotamus georgicus
  • Hippopotamus major
  • Hippopotamus tiberinus

Hippopotamus antiquus is an extinct species of the genus Hippopotamus that ranged across Europe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. It was considerably larger than the living hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius).

Contents

Description

Skull in Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris Hippopotamus major.jpg
Skull in Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris

Based on the transverse diameter of its limbs, H. antiquus has been estimated to weigh 3,500–4,200 kilograms (7,700–9,300 lb). [2] Volumetric analysis (which is generally considered more accurate) suggests a body mass of around 3,174 kilograms (6,997 lb) for a specimen on display at the University of Florence, around double the weight of the average specimen of the living common hippopotamus (H. amphibius). [3] The species exhibited size variability, with individuals from the late Early Pleistocene and Middle Pleistocene being smaller on average than those from earlier in the Early Pleistocene. [4] In comparison to modern Hippopotamus amphibius, the skull is more slender and elongate, but with a shorter neurocranium. [5] Hippopotamus antiquus has been suggested to have been more aquatically adapted than Hippopotamus amphibius, with the skull having more elevated eyesockets and the feet having shorter metapodial bones than H. amphibius. An analysis of nitrogen isotopes suggests that H. antiquus preferred aquatic plants, in contrast to modern H. amphibius, which prefers terrestrial grasses. [6] [7]

Distribution

H. antiquus ranged across Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula and the Italian Peninsula, to the British Isles to the Rhine River to Greece. [8] [9] The easternmost record of the species is from the Caucasus, at the Akhalkalaki site in Georgia. [10] Remains possibly attributable to the species are also known from the Ubeidiya site in Israel, [11] though other authors assign these remains to the species H. behemoth . [10] Their distribution was strongly controlled by temperature, with the species only extending to the northern parts of Europe during warmer interglacial intervals. [6]

Evolution

H. antiquus is suggested to be closely related to the African species Hippopotamus gorgops , and may be a descendant of that species. [11] The oldest records of H. antiquus date to the Early Pleistocene, around 2.1-2 million years ago, which are found in Italy and Greece. [12] The earliest specimens in the Iberian Peninsula date to around 1.7 million years ago. [13] H. antiquus first became widespread north of the Alps around 1.1 to 1 million years ago, as evidenced from specimens found dating to this time in France, Germany, the Netherlands and southern Britain. [6] The youngest remains of the species are from Condeixa in Portugal, suggested to date to approximately 400,000 years ago, [11] and Malagrotta in central Italy, dating to 450-380,000 years ago. [14] Later records of the genus Hippopotamus in Europe are believed to belong to the modern hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). [6] The earliest generally accepted record of H. amphibius in Europe is around 500,000 years old, and it is therefore possible that H. antiquus and H. amphibius coexisted in Europe from 500-400,000 years ago, though this is uncertain. [10] [15]

The Cretan dwarf hippopotamus (H. creutzburgi) is believed to have evolved from H. antiquus through the process of insular dwarfism on the island of Crete. [16] The extinct Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus (H. minor) may also derive from H. antiquus, but this is uncertain. [17]

Relationship with humans

Remains of the species with cut marks suggestive of butchery by archaic humans have been reported from several sites in Spain, dating to the late Early Pleistocene, including Barranco León (~1.4 Ma), Fuente Nueva 3 (~1.3 Ma), and Vallparadís (~1.0 Ma), At the Marathousa 2 site in Greece, thought to date to the Middle Pleistocene around 500-400,000 years ago, remains of a juvenile Hippopotamus antiquus individual with cut marks were found associated with a lithic artefact. It is unclear whether the remains at these sites were hunted or scavenged. It is unlikely that archaic humans regularly hunted healthy adult hippopotamuses due to their dangerousness. [18]

Related Research Articles

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The hippopotamus (; pl.: hippopotamuses; also shortened to hippo, further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippopotamidae</span> Family of mammals

Hippopotamidae is a family of stout, naked-skinned, and semiaquatic artiodactyl mammals, possessing three-chambered stomachs and walking on four toes on each foot. While they resemble pigs physiologically, their closest living relatives are the cetaceans. They are sometimes referred to as hippopotamids.

<i>Palaeoloxodon</i> Genus of extinct elephants

Palaeoloxodon is an extinct genus of elephant. The genus originated in Africa during the Early Pleistocene, and expanded into Eurasia at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The genus contains the largest known species of elephants, over 4 metres (13 ft) tall at the shoulders and over 13 tonnes (29,000 lb) in weight, representing among the largest land mammals ever, including the African Palaeoloxodon recki, the European straight-tusked elephant and the South Asian Palaeoloxodon namadicus. P. namadicus has been suggested to be the largest known land mammal by some authors based on extrapolation from fragmentary remains, though these estimates are highly speculative. In contrast, the genus also contains many species of dwarf elephants that evolved via insular dwarfism on islands in the Mediterranean, some like Palaeoloxodon falconeri less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) in shoulder height as fully grown adults, making them the smallest elephants known. The genus has a long and complex taxonomic history, and at various times, it has been considered to belong to Loxodonta or Elephas, but today is usually considered a valid and separate genus in its own right.

<i>Rhinoceros</i> (genus) Genus of mammals

Rhinoceros is a genus comprising one-horned rhinoceroses. This scientific name was proposed by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The genus contains two species, the Indian rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros. Although both members are threatened, the Javan rhinoceros is one of the most endangered large mammals in the world with only 60 individuals surviving in Java (Indonesia). The word 'rhinoceros' is of Greek origin meaning "nose-horn".

<i>Hippopotamus</i> (genus) Genus of mammals

Hippopotamus is a genus of artiodactyl mammals consisting of one extant species, Hippopotamus amphibius, the river hippopotamus, and several extinct species from both recent and prehistoric times. It belongs to the family Hippopotamidae, which also includes the pygmy hippopotamus and a number of extinct genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight-tusked elephant</span> Extinct species of elephant native to Europe and West Asia

The straight-tusked elephant is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. One of the largest known elephant species, mature fully grown bulls on average had a shoulder height of 4 metres (13 ft) and a weight of 13 tonnes (29,000 lb). Straight-tusked elephants likely lived very similarly to modern elephants, with herds of adult females and juveniles and solitary adult males. The species was primarily associated with temperate and Mediterranean woodland and forest habitats, flourishing during interglacial periods, when its range would extend across Europe as far north as Great Britain and eastwards into Russia. Skeletons found in association with stone tools and wooden spears suggest they were scavenged and hunted by early humans, including Neanderthals. It is the ancestor of most dwarf elephants that inhabited islands in the Mediterranean.

<i>Hippopotamus gorgops</i> Extinct species of mammal

Hippopotamus gorgops is an extinct species of the genus Hippopotamus known from remains found in Northern Africa, Eastern Africa, and the Levant. One of the largest hippopotamus species, it first appeared during the late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene, and became extinct during the early Middle Pleistocene.

<i>Hexaprotodon</i> Extinct hippopotamus genus

Hexaprotodon is an extinct genus of hippopotamid known from Asia and possibly Africa and Europe. The name Hexaprotodon means "six front teeth" as some of the fossil forms have three pairs of incisors. The pygmy hippopotamus was historically placed in the genus, but today is generally placed in its own genus. The core Asian members of the genus ranged from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia, and are thought to have had an aquatic ecology similar to that of the living common hippopotamus. The last members of the genus became extinct during the Late Pleistocene, perhaps as recently as 15,000 years ago.

<i>Palaeoloxodon namadicus</i> Extinct species of elephant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus</span> Species of mammal (fossil)

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Hippopotamus melitensis is an extinct hippopotamus from Malta. It lived during Middle-Late Pleistocene. It probably descended from Hippopotamus pentlandi from Sicily, which in turn probably descended from the common hippopotamus. Like Hippopotamus pentlandi, Hippopotamus melitensis is substantially smaller than H. amphibius as a result of insular dwarfism, having an estimated mass of approximately 900 kg, which is smaller than the 1100 kg estimated for H. pentlandi. The diet of H. melitensis is suggested to have been more generalist than Hippopotamus amphibius, likely as a result of limited resource diversity and lack of competition, as the only other large herbivore on the island was the dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis. The majority of findings of this species are from Għar Dalam, a cave on Malta famous for its Pleistocene fossil deposits.

<i>Hippopotamus pentlandi</i> Extinct species of mammal

Hippopotamus pentlandi is an extinct species of hippopotamus from Sicily, known from the late Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene. It is the largest of the insular dwarf hippos known from the Pleistocene of the Mediterranean, "at most 20% smaller than the mainland forms", with an estimated body mass of approximately 1100 kg. It is suggested that it arrived in Sicily between 250,000 and 150,000 years ago, probably descending from the modern hippopotamus, with an origin from Hippopotamus antiquus being less likely. In comparison to those species, the muzzle was shorter, the occipital and nasal regions were more developed, the mastoid process was enlarged, and the dental row was shortened, and the condyle of the mandible is low. In comparison to H. amphibius, the orbits are also elevated. It was present in Sicily until at least the latest Middle Pleistocene around 120 kya, and was probably extinct by the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 4. Contemporaneous species include the dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis, the aurochs, red deer, steppe bison, fallow deer, wild boar, brown bear, wolves, red foxes, cave hyena and cave lions. Its diet was likely grazing dominated, similar to that of modern H. amphibius. It is probably ancestral to Hippopotamus melitensis from Malta, which is substantially smaller than H. pentlandi.

<i>Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis</i> Extinct species of elephant

Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis is an extinct species of dwarf elephant belonging to the genus Palaeoloxodon, native to the Siculo-Maltese archipelago during the late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. It is derived from the European mainland straight-tusked elephant.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-nosed rhinoceros</span> Extinct species of rhinoceros

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References

  1. ↑ Desmarest, A.G., 1822. Mammalogie ou description des espèces de mammifères. Mme Veuve Agasse imprimeur édit., Paris, 2ème part., pp.277-555.
  2. ↑ Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido (2010), Fleagle, John G.; Shea, John J.; Grine, Frederick E.; Baden, Andrea L. (eds.), "Early Pleistocene Faunas of Eurasia and Hominin Dispersals", Out of Africa I, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 207–224, doi:10.1007/978-90-481-9036-2_13, ISBN   978-90-481-9035-5 , retrieved 2023-08-01
  3. ↑ Romano, Marco; Manucci, Fabio; Bellucci, Luca (2024-07-30). "Body mass estimate and in-vivo reconstruction of Hippopotamus antiquus from Figline, Upper Valdarno (Tuscany)". Historical Biology: 1–12. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2380358. ISSN   0891-2963.
  4. ↑ Mazza, Paul P. A.; Bertini, Adele (January 2013). "Were Pleistocene hippopotamuses exposed to climate-driven body size changes?". Boreas. 42 (1): 194–209. Bibcode:2013Borea..42..194M. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3885.2012.00285.x. ISSN   0300-9483.
  5. ↑ Martino, R.; Pandolfi, L. (2022-07-03). "The Quaternary Hippopotamus records from Italy". Historical Biology. 34 (7): 1146–1156. Bibcode:2022HBio...34.1146M. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1965138. ISSN   0891-2963. S2CID   239713930.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Neil F.; Candy, Ian; Schreve, Danielle C. (2022). "An Early Pleistocene hippopotamus from Westbury Cave, Somerset, England: support for a previously unrecognized temperate interval in the British Quaternary record". Journal of Quaternary Science. 37 (1): 28–41. Bibcode:2022JQS....37...28A. doi: 10.1002/jqs.3375 . ISSN   1099-1417. S2CID   244179438.
  7. ↑ Palmqvist, P.; Perez-Claros, J. A.; Janis, C. M.; Figueirido, B.; Torregrosa, V.; Grocke, D. R. (2008-11-01). "Biogeochemical and Ecomorphological Inferences On Prey Selection and Resource Partitioning Among Mammalian Carnivores In An Early Pleistocene Community". PALAIOS. 23 (11): 724–737. Bibcode:2008Palai..23..724P. doi:10.2110/palo.2007.p07-073r. ISSN   0883-1351. S2CID   85577791.
  8. ↑ van Kolfschoten, Th. (2000). "The Eemian mammal fauna of central Europe" (PDF). Netherlands Journal of Geosciences. 79 (2/3): 269–281. Bibcode:2000NJGeo..79..269V. doi:10.1017/S0016774600021752. S2CID   234349144. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-24.
  9. ↑ "150 Years of Neanderthal Discoveries; Early Europeans - Continuity & Discontinuity," ed. von Koenigswald, Wighart and Thomas Litt, TERRA NOSTRA 2006/2 University of Bonn, in PDF Archived 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 3 Fidalgo, D.; Rosas, A.; Madurell-Malapeira, J.; Pineda, A.; Huguet, R.; García-Tabernero, A.; Cáceres, I.; Ollé, A.; Vallverdú, J.; Saladie, P. (May 2023). "A review on the Pleistocene occurrences and palaeobiology of Hippopotamus antiquus based on the record from the Barranc de la Boella Section (Francolí Basin, NE Iberia)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 307: 108034. Bibcode:2023QSRv..30708034F. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108034 . hdl: 10261/308555 .
  11. 1 2 3 Martino, Roberta; Ríos, Maria Ibanez; Mateus, Octavio; Pandolfi, Luca (December 2022). "Taxonomy, chronology, and dispersal patterns of Western European Quaternary hippopotamuses: New insight from Portuguese fossil material". Quaternary International. 674–675: 121–137. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2022.12.010. S2CID   255029640.
  12. ↑ Fidalgo, D.; Rosas, A.; Madurell-Malapeira, J.; Pineda, A.; Huguet, R.; García-Tabernero, A.; Cáceres, I.; Ollé, A.; Vallverdú, J.; Saladie, P. (May 2023). "A review on the Pleistocene occurrences and palaeobiology of Hippopotamus antiquus based on the record from the Barranc de la Boella Section (Francolí Basin, NE Iberia)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 307: 108034. Bibcode:2023QSRv..30708034F. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108034 . hdl: 10261/308555 .
  13. ↑ Fidalgo, Darío; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan; Martino, Roberta; Pandolfi, Luca; Rosas, Antonio (2024-01-10). "An Updated Review of The Quaternary Hippopotamus Fossil Records from the Iberian Peninsula". Quaternary. 7 (1): 4. doi: 10.3390/quat7010004 . hdl: 10261/345195 . ISSN   2571-550X.
  14. ↑ Martino, Roberta; Marra, Fabrizio; Ríos, María; Pandolfi, Luca (2024-02-29). "The Middle Pleistocene Hippopotamus from Malagrotta (Latium, Italy): New Data and Future Perspectives". Quaternary. 7 (1): 13. doi: 10.3390/quat7010013 . ISSN   2571-550X.
  15. ↑ Mecozzi, Beniamino; Iannucci, Alessio; Mancini, Marco; Tentori, Daniel; Cavasinni, Chiara; Conti, Jacopo; Messina, Mattia Yuri; Sarra, Alex; Sardella, Raffaele (2023-11-22). Carnevale, Giorgio (ed.). "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)". PLOS ONE. 18 (11): e0293405. Bibcode:2023PLoSO..1893405M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293405 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   10664965 . PMID   37992018.
  16. ↑ A.C. Marra Pleistocene hippopotamuses of Mediterranean islands: looking for ancestors J.A. Alcover, P. Bover (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Symposium “Insular Vertebrate Evolution: The Palaeontological Approach.” Monographias de la Societat d'Historia Natural de !es Balears (2005), pp. 193-204
  17. ↑ Georgitsis, Michail K.; Liakopoulou, Dionysia Ε.; Theodorou, Georgios E.; Tsiolakis, Efthymios (August 2022). "Functional morphology of the hindlimb of fossilized pygmy hippopotamus from Ayia Napa (Cyprus)". Journal of Morphology. 283 (8): 1048–1079. doi:10.1002/jmor.21488. ISSN   0362-2525. PMID   35708268. S2CID   249709335.
  18. ↑ Konidaris, George; Tourloukis, Vangelis; Boni, Georgia; Athanassiou, Athanassios; Giusti, Domenico; Thompson, Nicholas; Syrides, George; Panagopoulou, Eleni; Karkanas, Panagiotis; Harvati, Katerina (2023-04-27). "Marathousa 2: A New Middle Pleistocene Locality in the Megalopolis Basin (Greece) With Evidence of Hominin Exploitation of Megafauna (Hippopotamus)". PaleoAnthropology. 2023 (1): 34–55. doi:10.48738/2023.iss1.810. ISSN   1545-0031.
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