Island Evolution and What's More: canids

Showing posts with label canids. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Origin and adaptation of Cynotherium sardous (Mammalia: Carnivora) by Lyras, Van der Geer, Dermitzakis, De Vos in JVP 26 (3): 735-745

The endemic insular canid Cynotherium sardous is known for one and a half century, yet its phylogenetic position remained unsolved. This was because inherited ancestral characters and acquired adaptations to different ecological pressures could not be separated. Morphological and biometrical data alone are therefore insufficient. In this study the problem is approached again, with the use of morphological features that were either overlooked or could not be explained properly, in combination with results from recent major revisions of canid phylogeny. It appears that Xenocyon is the most parsimonious ancestor of Cynotherium, and that this large hypercarnivorous canid, once on the island, faced a rather different menu consisting of small prey only. The subsequent necessary adaptation resulted in a small-sized dog which carried its head much in the way foxes do and was able to hold its body low to the ground and move its head laterally better than any living canid. Its dentition and brain morphology remained much the same, whereas its skull lost the typical fortifications seen in the other hypercarnivorous canids; these are considered superfluous for Cynotherium who had to exchange big and strong prey for small and fast prey.

Read the full text in LYRAS G.A., VAN DER GEER A.A.E., DERMITZAKIS M.D., DE VOS J. (2006). Cynotherium sardous, an insular canid (Mammalia: Carnivora) from the Pleistocene of Sardinia, and its origin. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26(3): 735-745,

and in LYRAS G.A., VAN DER GEER A.A.E. (2006). Adaptations of the Pleistocene island canid Cynotherium sardous (Sardinia, Italy) for hunting small prey. Cranium 23 (1): 51-60 (for pdf, click http://users.uoa.gr/~geeraae/publications/2006-Cranium-Cynotherium.pdf )

For pdf's, ask me at geeraae@geol.uoa.gr or ask glyras@geol.uoa.gr, or visit our pages: http://users.uoa.gr/~geeraae and http://users.uoa.gr/~glyras and select Publications

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Animals in Stone

The art history of South Asia covers a time span of roughly four and a half thousand years. During this period, a vast number of animal stone sculptures has been produced, ranging from the pre-historic period till today and covering a great variety of motifs and imagery in different regions and religious traditions. Even so, the number of studies devoted to these animal sculptures has remained extremely limited. The present book aims at filling this knowledge gap. With this richly illustrated book, the first of its kind, Van der Geer offers a comparative study of the ways in which various animals have been depicted and a lucid analysis of the sculptors’ treatment of their “models”: living animals. The art history of sculptured animals is contextualized with a description of the use of animals as can be read from ancient texts, archaeological evidence and contemporaneous culture. In doing so, parallels as well as differences in style or iconography are highlighted, elucidating the variety of animal depictions across regions, religious contexts and through time. The corpus of discussed material ranges from Indus seals, stupa panels and railings, monumental temples from North and South India, non-religious palace and fort architecture to loose sculptures in museum collections.

My publications (a selection, in chronological order)

2014 Van der Geer A.A.E. Parallel patterns and trends in functional structures in island mammals. Integrative Zoology. Accepted article. doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12066
2013 Van der Geer A.A.E. et al. Body size evolution of palaeo-insular mammals: temporal variations and interspecific interactions. Journal of Biogeography 40, 1440–1450.
2010 Van der Geer A.A.E. et al. Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. Blackwell Publishing, c. 384 pp.
2008 Van der Geer, A.A.E. The effect of insularity on the Eastern Mediterranean early cervoid Hoplitomeryx: the study of the forelimb. Quaternary International 182, 1: 145-159.
2008 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Animals in Stone. Indian mammals sculptured through time. Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 2 South Asia (ed. J. Bronkhorst). Leiden: Brill. lxxii, 814 pp, c. 700 ill, index. Hardback. ISBN 978 90 04 16819 0.
2008 Van der Geer A.A.E., Dermitzakis D.M. Dental eruption sequence in the Pliocene Papionini Paradolichopithecus arvernensis (Mammalia: Primates) from Greece. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28 (4): 1238-1244.
2008 Van der Geer A.A.E. et al. Hoe dieren op eilanden evolueren. Majorca, Ibiza, Kreta, Sardinie, Sicilie, Japan, Madagaskar, Malta. Utrecht: Veen Magazines; ISBN 978 908571 169 8.
2006 Van der Geer, A.A.E., Dermitzakis, M. Relative growth of the metapodals in a juvenile island deer: Candiacervus (Mammalia, Cervidae) from the Pleistocene of Crete. Hellenic Journal of Geosciences 41, 1: 119-125.
2006 Van der Geer, A.A.E., De Vos, J., Lyras, G., Dermitzakis, M. New data on the Pleistocene Cretan deer Candiacervus sp. II (Mammalia, Cervinae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 256: 131-137. Frankfurt am Main.
2006 Van der Geer, A.A.E. et al. Crete before the Cretans: the reign of dwarfs. Pharos 13: 121-132. Athens: Netherlands Institute.
2006 Van der Geer, A., Dermitzakis, M., De Vos, J. Fossils and myths in North India: is there a connection between the Siwalik Hills and the Mahābhārata? The 19th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, 27-30 June 2006, Leiden the Netherlands. Abstracts: p 124. Leiden: International Institute for Asian Studies.
2006 Sondaar, P.Y., Van der Geer, A.A.E., Dermitzakis, M. The unique postcranial of the Old World monkey Paradolichopithecus: more similar to Australopithecus than to baboons. Hellenic Journal of Geosciences 41, 1: 19-28.
2006 Lyras, G.A., Van der Geer, A.A.E., Dermitzakis, M.D., De Vos, J. Cynotherium sardous, an insular canid (Mammalia: Carnivora) from the Pleistocene of Sardinia (Italy), and its origin. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26 (3): 735-745.
2006 Lyras, G. Van der Geer, A. Adaptations of the Pleistocene island canid Cynotherium sardous (Sardinia, Italy) for hunting small prey. Cranium 23, 1: 51-60.
2006 Dermitzakis, M., Van der Geer, A.A.E., Lyras, G. Palaeopathological observations on a population of fossil deer from the Late Pleistocene of Crete. In: Kalofourtis, A., Papadopoulos, N., Spiliopoulou, C., Marabellas, K., Chatzioannou, A.. Volume in Honor of Prof. A.S. Koutselinis, pp. 43-51. [in Greek with English summary].
2006 Dermitzakis, M., Roussiakis, S., Van der Geer, A.A.E. Sto Mouseio – Mosasaurus. With English summary. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Museum of Palaeontology and Geology, Athens; 55 pp.
2005 Van der Geer, A.A.E. The postcranial of the deer Hoplitomeryx (Mio-Pliocene; Italy): another example of adaptive radiation on Eastern Mediterranean Islands. Monografies de la Societat d'Història Natural de les Balears 12: 325-336. Palma.
2005 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Island ruminants and the evolution of parallel functional structures. In: Cregut, E. (Ed.): Les ongulés holarctiques du Pliocène et du Pléistocène. Actes Colloque international Avignon, 19-22 septembre. Quaternair, 2005 hors-série 2: 231-240. Paris.
2005 Sondaar, P.Y., Van der Geer, A.A.E. Evolution and Extinction of Plio-Pleistocene Island Ungulates. In: Cregut, E. (Ed.): Les ongulés holarctiques du Pliocène et du Pléistocène. Actes Colloque international Avignon, 19-22 septembre. Quaternair, 2005 hors-série 2: 241-256. Paris.
2003 Lyras, G.A., Van der Geer, A.A.E. External brain anatomy of the Canidae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138: 505-522. London. doi: 10.1046/j.1096-3642.2003.00067.x.
2002 Van der Geer, A.A.E., Sondaar, P.Y. The postcranial elements of Paradolichopithecus arvernensis (Primates, Cercopithecidae, Papionini) from Lesvos, Greece. Annales Géologiques des Pays Helléniques 1e Série 39, A: 71-86.
2000 Sondaar, P.Y., Van der Geer, S. Mesolithic environment and animal exploitation on Cyprus and Sardinia/Corsica. In: Mashkour, M., A. Choyke & M. Buitenhuis (eds). Proceedings of the IVth ASWA Symposium, IVA: 67-73. Paris.
1999 Van der Geer, A.A.E. On the astragalus of the Miocene endemic deer Hoplitomeryx from the Gargano (Italy). Deinsea 7: 325-336. Rotterdam: Natuurmuseum.
1998 Van der Geer, A.A.E. The Bhāsa Problem. A statistical research into its solution. Ph.D. Thesis Rijksuniversiteit Leiden; 243 pp.
1996 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Samskrtabhāsa B2, Sanskrit voor gevorderden; 233 pp.
1996 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Samskrtabhāsa B1, cursus Sanskrit voor beginners; 366 pp.
1995 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Woordenboek Nederlands-Sardijns. Leiden; 240 pp.
1995 Van der Geer, A.A.E. Isco sa limba mea. Sardijns in 10 lessen. Leiden; 229 pp.