VERTEBRATE TRACKS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE AT THE MAMMOTH SITE (LATE PLEISTOCENE) OF HOT SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA

The Mammoth Site is a hydrogeologic trap of Pleistocene fauna. The locality represents a site of death, decomposition, and depositional entombment of a population of Columbian mammoths and 82 other identified species.

Previous research in the late Pleistocene sediments at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota has yielded only footprints that are inferred to be proboscidean, which is in stark contrast to the comparatively large number of vertebrate fossils found. We report here the discovery of numerous avian tracks, considerably expanding the paleontological database for vertebrates at the Mammoth Site.

Tracks inferred to be proboscidean occur throughout laminated sediments and are apparent in cross section. Excavation techniques traditionally cut across the bedding planes as fossils are exposed. Excavation was conducted along bedding planes in the center section of the sinkhole, exposing multiple layers of track bearing mudstones. Vertebrate tracks and trackways affirm the sedimentological conditions were sufficient in this area for footprint preservation, although many tracks may represent undertracks. Further investigation and excavation along bedding planes should yield more information about the fauna of the Mammoth Site.