BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PLEISTOCENE VERTEBRATE COPROLITES

Pleistocene vertebrate coprolites are present on all continents except Antarctica, but they are most numerous in the arid southwestern United States. The majority of these coprolites are preserved in caves. There are three distinct biogeographic provinces defined by vertebrate coprolites.

North and South America are characterized by sloth coprolites, although the most abundant bromalites are paleomiddens and coprolites of rodents (e.g., neotomalites in North America). Sloth coprolites are present in 20 caves in North America (Rampart Cave, Muav Caves, Aden Crater, Shelter Cave, Upper Sloth Cave, Lower Sloth Cave, Dust Cave, Williams Cave, Bechan Cave, and Cowboy Cave) and South America (Pikimachay Cave, Peñas de las Trampas 1.1, Cueva Cacao, Cerro Casa de Piedra 7, Gruta del Indio, Cuchillo Cura, Cueva de Milodon, Lapa Vermelha IV and Gruta de Brejoes). The North American sloth coprolites all were produced by the Shasta ground sloth, Nothrotheriops shastensis. The North America coprolite-producing caves also contain many other types of coprolites made by a wide variety of other taxa, including the mammoth Mammuthus sp.; Harrington’s mountain goat, Oreamnos harringtoni; bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis; and shrub ox, Eucatherium collinum.

The hyena coprolite Hyaenacoprus bucklandi characterizes Old World localities in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including caves (e.g., Kirkdale Cave - UK, Rochelot Cave – France, Pikermi – Greece, La Valina Cave – Spain, Equus Cave Taung – South Africa, Ben Tal Cave B – Israel, Zhoukoudian - China) and open air sites (e.g., Westeregein, Bad Wildungen, Neumark-Nord Lake 1 – all in Germany).

Many Pacific islands yield locally abundant and important records of Quaternary bird coprolites, notably in New Zealand. Most New Zealand coprolites are those of moas, including the South Island giant moa, Dinornis robustus; upland moa, Megalapteryx didinus; heavy-footed moa, Pachyornis elephantopus; stoutlegged moa, Euryapteryx gravis; little bush moa Anomalopteryx didiformis; and coastal moa Euryapteryx curtus, but they also represent other birds such as the kakapo Strigops habroptilus. Thus, the three provinces that Pleistocene coprolites identify are New World (sloth dominated), Old World (hyena dominated) and Pacific islands (bird dominated).