ABSTRACT
The Marota Cave (Andaraí municipality, Bahia, Brazil), located in the karst system of the Una – Utinga basin, Chapada Diamantina, is a cave of particular interest for the paleoecological understanding of the Brazilian Intertropical Region. In the present work, we present new records of the tapir Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), the anteater Tamandua tetradactyla Linnaeus, 1758, and the giants ground sloths Catonyx cuvieri (Lund, 1839) and Nothrotherium maquinense (Lund, 1839). We present inferences about the body mass and radiocarbon dating (14C AMS) in association with mathematical models of linear regressions using isotopic values of carbon (δ13C), which provide new information about the paleoecology and chronology of these species. The 14C AMS datings showed an age around11.000 years for all the studied fossils, placing the records in the Late Pleistocene. The carbon isotopic values presented for T. terrestris were −17.21 ‰, for C. cuvieri was −11.19 ‰, and N. maquinense −11.99 ‰ and −12.12 ‰. These data allow us to suggest T. terrestris, C. cuvieri and N. maquinense as specialists, feeding more on C3 plants (piC3 > 80%). The information obtained from (δ18O) varying from 4.06 ‰ to −0.08 ‰ (µδ18O = −1.94 ‰), associated with δ13C data, suggests a forested environment in the region around 11,000 yr ago.
Acknowledgments
To Mr. Tete, guardian of the Marota Cave, which allowed us to collect these fossils, and carry out this work. To the anonymous reviewers, for the valuable suggestions which improve the quality of our manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.