Abstract
792 specimens attributed to the Giraffidae were recovered by the Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition (EPPE) from the three Pliocene stratigraphic units at Laetoli, with Giraffa stillei the most common taxon in all three levels. Giraffids are notably well represented in the Upper Laetolil Beds, with further evidence gathered by EPPE for the three previously recognized species from this unit. In the Lower Laetolil Beds Giraffa stillei is provisionally identified, as is Sivatherium. A third, large giraffid species may also be present. Based on a specimen recovered by Kohl-Larsen’s team during the first extensive exploration of Laetoli, we now provisionally recognize Giraffa pygmaea from the Upper Ndolanya Beds, along with Giraffa stillei and Sivatherium maurusium. Evidence for Giraffa jumae in the Upper Ndolanya Beds is not as convincing, as it is based on a small number of postcranial bones. In the time between the formation of the Upper Laetolil Beds and the Upper Ndolanya Beds, it appears that Giraffa stillei increased in size, which has been documented at other contemporary East African localities. This may relate to competition from the smaller Giraffa pygmaea.
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Acknowledgements
I would like thank Dr. Terry Harrison for his invitation to work on the giraffid fossils and contribute to this volume. I would also like to thank him for data he gathered on the giraffid specimens in Berlin and for many years of advice and guidance. I am grateful for the discussions with Dr. Alan Gentry during the examination of this material and e-mail correspondence afterwards that provided important insights into artiodactyl morphology and evolution. Comments from Denis Geraads and two anonymous reviewers substantially improved this manuscript. Many thanks to the curatorial staffs at the Kenya National Museum, the National Museum of Tanzania and the American Museum of Natural History for providing access to the giraffid specimens under their care. Fiona Bohane, Obed Gonzalez and Tyiece Rose assisted in collecting data on extant giraffes. Travel funds were provided by an NSF grant (BCS–0309513) to Terry Harrison.
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Robinson, C.A. (2011). Giraffidae. In: Harrison, T. (eds) Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9962-4_14
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