Diseases and Traumas of Pleistocene Megafauna

A Perspective From Poland

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4716982
AutoresKamilla Pawłowska (0000-0002-4103-4501, Department of Palaeoenvironmental Research, Institute of Geology Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Poznań Poland, autor correspondente), A Chrószcz (0000-0001-9079-549X, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences), Dominik Poradowski (0000-0003-4296-3174, Department of Biostructure and Animal Physiology, Division of Animal Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Wrocław Poland), Dominika Kubiak‐nowak (0000-0001-9842-9240, Department and Clinic of Surgery Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Wrocław Poland), Wojciech Borawski (0000-0003-0294-3777, Department and Clinic of Surgery Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences Wrocław Poland)
Ano2025
Volume35
Fascículo2
Data de publicação2025-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.3387
OpenAlexW4407058996
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas53

Analysis of pathologies can shed light on the health, trauma, and disease states of animals in the past. This study aims to explore the health status of megafauna during the Pleistocene and Holocene in Poland and to elucidate the diseases afflicting them, in order to gain a broader picture of the physical condition of these animals. For this purpose, species that show pathological lesions were macroscopically studied, and CT images were used for reconstruction. These results are supplemented with previously published data. Our results show cases of traumatic lesions, inflammatory diseases, arthropathies, diseases associated with the environment, dental anomalies and oral pathology, congenital anomalies and inherited disorders, and others. Lesions were found on the skeletal elements of woolly rhinoceroses, woolly mammoths, aurochs, bovids, giant deer, elks, and bears. The diversity of pathological cases and taxa demonstrated here is the first contribution to empirical pathological research in Polish paleozoology dealing with Quaternary records. Besides this, the research presented in this paper contributes to building a bridge between paleozoology and zooarcheology in support of what we call the "one pathology" concept

Archaeology · Disease · Geography · Megafauna · Paleopathology · Pathological · Pathology · Pleistocene · dental development and anomalies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation