Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2013, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (04): 477-484.

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New discovered Early Pleistocene mammal fossils and bone artifact in Hezhang of Guizhou Plateau

ZHAO Ling-xia; ZHANG Li-zhao; XU Chun-hua; WANG Xin-jin; CAI Hui-yang   

  • Online:2013-12-15 Published:2013-12-15

Abstract: Pleistocene mammal fossils were recently discovered in a quarry site near the Heizhai village? of ?Songlinpo,? Hezhang ?County ?in? western? Guizhou ?Province.? The ?fossil? site?(26°50.438′N? 104°53.950′E,? 1717m? altitude)? is? a? limestone? cave? deposit? site? (Fig.1-3).? The? morphological? measurements of fossil tapirs, one maxillae with two premolars and one mandibular fragment (Fig.4,?5;?Tab.1,?2), ?indicate ?its ?attribution ?to? Tapirus sanyuanensis that lived during Early Pleistocene in south China. Its premolar size is evidently larger than late Miocene Tapirus yunnanensis from Zhaotong, Yunnan, and is smaller than Tapirus sinensis and Megatapirus augustus that lived in the middle and late Pleistocene. It is very special that one fossil bone fragment? looks? particularly? like? a? bone? artifact? with? modified? point? and? multiple? scars? impling? human? activity? (Fig.6).? Up? to? now? there? is? no? fossil? human? evidence? of? Early? Pleistocene? discovered in Guizhou Province. This new evidence will provide helpful information for future field work ??in? Yunnan-Guizhou ?Plateau.

Key words: Hezhang; Guizhou; Tapirus sanyuanensis; Bone artifact; Early Pleistocene