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Fossil Burrows from the Eopleistocene Paleoichnological Locality of Sopaty Kurgan

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Abstract—

Five morphotypes of fossil burrows are described from four beds of Eopleistocene paleosols from Sopaty Kurgan (Krasnodar krai, Russia). The architecture, ornamentation and diameter of fossil burrows was compared with a reference collection of modern burrows. The first morphotype is identified as Nannospalax sp. from its architecture, in particular, the shape of the lower junction of vertical shafts and tunnel diameter. The architecture (subhorizontal tunnels, absence of vertical ones), diameter and ornamentation of the second morphotype show affinities with the burrows of the modern water-vole, Arvicola terrestris; it possibly belongs to a large Mimomys sp. The third morphotype is identified as belonging to a large jerboa Allactaga sp. from the shape of the cross-section and diameter. The fourth morphotype is identified as a medium-large-sized arvicolid. The fifth morphotype is identified from the presence of spiral vertical tunnels as belonging to a mole-vole, Ellobius sp.

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Notes

  1. This section was first referred to as Temizhbek (Temijbek) after the name of the nearby village (Dodonov et al., 2006). This was also the name used in a short note on the same ichnological locality (Ponomarenko, 2019). However, to avoid confusion with another, nearby, Miocene section with the same name, it is now called Sopaty Kurgan (Tesakov, 2010).

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  1. Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117647, Moscow, Russia

    D. S. Ponomarenko

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Ponomarenko, D.S. Fossil Burrows from the Eopleistocene Paleoichnological Locality of Sopaty Kurgan. Paleontol. J. 57, 343–352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030123020119

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