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Skull reconstruction and ecology of Urmiatherium polaki (Bovidae, Mammalia) from the upper Miocene deposits of Maragheh, Iran

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Abstract

Study of a newly discovered cranial specimen of Urmiatherium polaki from Karaj Abad site in Maragheh, Iran, allows us to describe the complete skull and present a new diagnosis for this late Miocene mammal species. In the comparative study of the specimen we propose the relative position of the upper teeth as a reliable metrical method for discriminating bovids of similar size. Based on the available information, a skull reconstruction of Urmiatherium polaki is provided and its ecological profile is outlined. Both the cranial and dental features of U. polaki indicate a gregarious grazing bovid of medium size, adapted to uneven ground and exhibiting ramming as the predominant fighting behavior.

Kurzfassung

Studie eines neu entdeckten Schädels Fragment von Urmiatherium polaki aus den späten Miozän von Maragheh im Iran erlaubt uns die Vollendung des Schädel Anatomie und die Diagnose dieser Säugertierart abzuschließen. Außerdem führen wir die relative Position der Oberkieferzähne als eine zuverlässige metrische Vergleichmethode zwischen Bovidae ähnlicher Größe. Auf Grundlage der verfügbaren Informationen präsentieren wir eine Rekonstruktion des Schädels und der Ökologie der Arten. Alle Anzeichen deuten U. polaki als gesellig Grazer von mittlerer Größe mit Rammen Kampfverhalten, angepasst an unebenen Untergrund.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Eng. Zaare (Department of the Environment, Maragheh, Iran), MSc H. Sadeghiannejad, and Dr. S. Montazame (Office of Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Department of the Environment, Tehran, Iran) for their assistance. We also thank the Department of Geology, Tarbiat Moallem University, Iran. Helpful comments by Denis Geraads, Faysal Bibi, and Majid Mirzaie Ataabadi allowed us to greatly improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Tarbiat Moallem University, No. 43, Mofateh Ave, 15614, Tehran, Iran

    Reza Jafarzadeh & Jahanbakhsh Daneshian

  2. Department of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dimitris S. Kostopoulos

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  1. Reza Jafarzadeh
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  2. Dimitris S. Kostopoulos
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  3. Jahanbakhsh Daneshian
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Correspondence to Dimitris S. Kostopoulos.

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Jafarzadeh, R., Kostopoulos, D.S. & Daneshian, J. Skull reconstruction and ecology of Urmiatherium polaki (Bovidae, Mammalia) from the upper Miocene deposits of Maragheh, Iran. Paläontol Z 86, 103–111 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-011-0123-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-011-0123-z

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