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Elevated δ15N values in mammoths

A Comparison With Modern Elephants

Bibliographic Data

ID5383445
AuthorsMargot Kuitems (0000-0002-8803-2650, Leiden University, corresponding author), Thijs Van Kolfschoten (0000-0003-1716-3394, Leiden University), Johannes Van Der Plicht (0000-0003-4298-7037, University of Groningen)
Year2015
Volume7
Issue3
Pages289-295
Publication date2015-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12520-012-0095-2
OpenAlexW2018181803
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited36

The extinct Pleistocene woolly mammoth bone collagen shows compared with collagen from other contemporaneous large herbivores remarkably high δ15N values. In order to investigate if the observed discrepancy in δ15N values between Pleistocene woolly mammoths and coeval large ungulates also exists in modern relatives, we investigated the δ15N (and δ13C) values in nails of modern proboscideans, rhinoceroses and horses kept in captivity and with a comparable forage. The results of this study show that the nails of the different modern herbivores, supplied with similar diet, have more or less identical δ15N values, so elephants do not show higher δ15N values. How to explain the high values in Pleistocene mammoths? Two different options will be discussed

Biology · Bovidae · Captivity · Early Pleistocene · Herbivore · Mammoth · Olduvai Gorge · Pleistocene · Stable isotope ratio · δ13C · δ15N · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Paleontology

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Unique citing works15
Citations per year1,25
Citation span2014 - 2025 (12)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 11
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