Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (01): 157-183.doi: 10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2024.0007

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An overview and new insights into the Quaternary mammalian fauna from the Nihewan Basin in North China

TONG Haowen1,2(), ZHANG Bei3, CHEN Xi4   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
    3. National Natural History Museum of China, Beijing 100050
    4. Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023
  • Received:2023-10-11 Online:2024-02-15 Published:2024-02-06

Abstract:

The Nihewan (Nihowan) Basin attracted researcher ’s attention by its rich fluviolacustrine deposits initially and then by its diversified mammalian fossils. Currently it is a hot spot for Paleolithic archaeology, Quaternary geology and for paleontology. The Nihewan fauna sensu stricto has been regarded as the type fauna for the Early Pleistocene Epoch in North China, whose paleomagnetic age is 2.2-1.7 Ma. Whereas the further stratigraphical investigations inside the Basin have also resulted in discoveries of mammalian faunas of Mid-Late Pleistocene epochs. Elephant remains recovered in Holocene deposits at Dingjiabu reservoir were identified as Elephas maximus by a previous study, while recent dating work shows the actual age of these remains as older than 50 kyr, with a morphological study of these fossils indicating an inclusion into the species Palaeoloxodon naumanni. Up to now, more than 100 fossil localities have been discovered in the Nihewan Basin, and approximately 236 mammal species have been recognized that belong to 8 orders, 32 families, and 121 genera. Around 38 species (including subspecies) were originally established based on well preserved and diversaified fossil materials from here. Some of the taxa with important roles in forming the initial Paleoarctic fauna are early mammoth (Mammuthus meridionalis and M. trogontherii), woolly rhino (Coelodonta nihowanensis), early bison (Bison palaeosinensis) and comb-antlered deer (Eucladoceros boulei), Chihli wolf (Canis chihliensis), raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes spp.) and diverse horses (Equus spp.). Because of the cut of rivers and faults as well as the facies changes, chronological correlations among different sites in the Nihewan Basin is not easy, which makes it difficult to get a general view of evolutionary patterns of fauna. The present study shows Early Pleistocene fossil sites around the Cenjiawan (Cheng-chia-wan) platform at the southern bank of the Sangganhe (Sangkanho) River should share similar geologic ages as the type locality of Nihewan fauna sensu stricto at Xiashagou on the northern bank of the river. Fossiliferous strata in the Nihewan Basin are mainly limited to sand, silt and clay layers. Bones usually form lenticular masses or appear in piles along trenches in situ, which should be the result from transportation by water. Except for one tooth of Hystrix and a few fossils of muntjac, the Pleistocene mammalian fauna in the Nihewan Basin is exclusively composed of Paleoarctic animals, which indicates a cool steppe dominated environment.

Key words: Mammal, Biostratigraphy, Paleoenvironment, Nihewan, Quaternary

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