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Fernando Abdala, Juan Carlos Cisneros, and Roger M. H. Smith
Faunal aggregation in the Early Triassic Karoo Basin; earliest evidence of shelter-sharing behavior among tetrapods?
Palaios (October 2006), 21(5):507-512

Abstract:
The first report of a multitaxon aggregation from the Early Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone is presented here. The aggregation includes two vertebrates--the suricate-sized cynodont Galesaurus planiceps and a gecko-like procolophonoid Owenetta kitchingorum--and a diplopod millipede. The high degree of articulation of the skeletal remains and the preservation of delicate bones in situ suggest that the animals were either rapidly buried or died in a place protected from weathering and agents of dispersal. Two hypotheses are possible to explain this multitaxon aggregation: trapping in a floodplain gully followed by immediate burial or shelter-sharing. The latter hypothesis is favored after the analysis of the fossil evidence recorded in the South African Karoo Basin.

Index Terms/Descriptors:
Africa; Anapsida; behavior; Bethulie South Africa; burrows; Chordata; Cynodontia; fluvial environment; Free State South Africa; Galesaurus planiceps; Karroo Basin; Katberg Formation; lithostratigraphy; Lower Triassic; Mesozoic; Owenetta kitchingorum; paleoenvironment; preservation; Reptilia; South Africa; Southern Africa; Synapsida; taphonomy; Tetrapoda; Therapsida; Triassic; Vertebrata

Latitude & Longitude:
S30°30'00" - S30°30'00" and E25°58'00" - E25°58'00" (Search for maps and images at Alexandria Digital Library)

GeoRef, Copyright 2006, American Geological Institute. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States. Reference includes data supplied by SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), Tulsa, OK, United States

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