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European wild ass

November 01, 2023

The European wild ass (Equus hydruntinus or Equus hemionus hydruntinus) or hydruntine is an extinct equine from the Middle Pleistocene to Late Holocene of Europe and West Asia, and possibly North Africa. It is a member of the subgenus Asinus, and closely related to the living Asiatic wild ass. The specific epithet, hydruntinus, means from Otranto (Hydruntum in Latin).

European ass
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene - Holocene 0.6–0.0025 Ma
↓
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Genus: Equus
Subgenus: Asinus
Species:
†E. hydruntinus
Binomial name
†Equus hydruntinus
Regalia, 1907

Description edit

 
Complete skull from Crimea

In comparison to the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), the muzzle region of the skull is much shorter and somewhat proportionally wider, the palate is elongate, and the nasal notch is shorter. The teeth are relatively small compared to skull size, but are very hypsodont (high crowned). The shafts of the metacarpal and metatarsal bones are also more robust.[1]

Evolutionary history edit

Equus hydruntinus appeared first in the fossil record around 600,000 years before present during the Middle Pleistocene. In the Late Pleistocene it was widespread throughout much of western Eurasia from the Middle East to Europe, especially along the Mediterranean, with fossil reports from Sicily, Turkey, Spain, France and Portugal. In the east the range apparently stretched at least to the Volga and to Iran. In the north it reached almost to the North Sea in Germany and the British Isles. Some authors suggest that it may have reached North Africa.[1] Its range fragmented after the Last Glacial Maximum, surviving into the Holocene, its range gradually contracted further, persisting in small regions of southern Europe into the Bronze Age, until around 2700 BC, and to around 1000 BC in Iran and the Caucasus.[2] It has been suggested that the Iberian Zebro, extinct in the wild from the 16th century, could correspond to the Equus hydruntinus,[3] although the word "zebro" or "cebro" comes from Latin equiferus meaning 'wild horse'.[4] Later research judged that it was unlikely that hydruntines persisted in the Iberian Peninsula beyond the Chalcolithic.[2]

The exact systematic position was formerly unclear but recent genetic and morphological analysis suggested that it is closely related to the Asiatic wild ass.[5][6] A 2017 genetic study based on a partial mitochondrial genome suggested that it was a subspecies of Asiatic wild ass, closer to the Khur than the Persian onager.[7] However, study of the full mitochondral and nuclear genomes of specimens from Çatalhöyük and Çadır Höyük in Anatolia (present day Turkey) dating to the early-mid 1st millennium BC, which represent the youngest known remains of the species (with the youngest specimen dated to around 2698-2356 cal years Before Present, or around 748-406 cal years BC) , suggest that all living Asiatic wild ass lineages (sensu lato, including the kiang) are more closely related to each other than to E. hydruntinus, with the split between the two groups estimated at 0.8-1 million years ago. Analysis of the nuclear genome suggested that there had been gene flow during the Holocene from the hydruntine lineage into Middle Eastern Asiatic wild asses.[8]

Ecology edit

The evidence shows that the European ass favoured semi-arid, steppic conditions and showed a preference for temperate climates, although it was also found in cool or cold conditions.[1] It may have retreated to warmer locales during the coldest periods[7] although the relatively short muzzle indicates an adaptation for cold conditions. It preferred open biotopes, between shrubland (favoured by true horses) and grassland (favoured by bovids). It is believed to have shared this habitat with species such as the woolly rhinoceros.[1] It is considered an ecologically important part of the ecosystem known as mammoth steppe where it filled a niche equivalent to that provided by the African wild ass or Zebra in the African savanna.[9] Dental wear analysis of specimens from the Iberian Peninsula suggests a primarily grazing diet, though they appear to have been flexible feeders, having seasonally consumed browse.[10][11]

Relationship with humans edit

The hydruntine is depicted in Palaeolithic cave paintings and engravings from France, as well as on Neolithic pottery from Anatolia.[7] Remains found with cut marks and/or in archaeological sites spanning from the Paleolithic to the youngest known remains of the species in the Iron Age across the species range, including Crimea, Italy, the Iberian Peninsula and Anatolia indicated that it was hunted by people, including both modern humans and Neanderthals.[8][11][12][13]

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    Cave painting from Lascaux cave, France

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    Engraving in the cave Les Trois Frères, France

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    Engraving on a pendant from Putois cave, France

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    Hunting scene on Neolithic pottery from Turkey

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Boulbes, Nicolas; van Asperen, Eline N. (2019). "Biostratigraphy and Palaeoecology of European Equus". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 7: 301. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00301. ISSN 2296-701X.
  2. ^ a b Crees, Jennifer J.; Turvey, Samuel T. (May 2014). "Holocene extinction dynamics of Equus hydruntinus, a late-surviving European megafaunal mammal". Quaternary Science Reviews. 91: 16–29. Bibcode:2014QSRv...91...16C. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.03.003. ISSN 0277-3791.
  3. ^ Antunes, M. T. (2006). "The zebro (equidae) and its extinction in portugal, with an appendix on the noun zebro and the modern zebra". In Mashkour, M. (ed.). Equids in Time and Space. Oxford: Oxbow Books. pp. 211–236.
  4. ^ Nores, Carlos; Morales Muñiz, Arturo; Llorente Rodríguez, Laura (June 2015). "The Iberian zebro: what kind of a beast was it?". Anthropozoologica. 50 (1): 21–23. doi:10.5252/az2015n1a2. S2CID 55004515.
  5. ^ Burke, Ariane; Eisenmann, Vera; Ambler, Graeme K. (May 2003). "The systematic position of Equus hydruntinus, an extinct species of Pleistocene equid". Quaternary Research. 59 (3): 459–469. doi:10.1016/S0033-5894(03)00059-0. S2CID 84330920.
  6. ^ Orlando, Ludovic; Machkour, Maryam; Burke, Ariane (July 2006). "Geographic distribution of an extinct equid (Equus hydruntinus: Mammalia, Equidae) revealed by morphological and genetical analyses of fossils". Molecular Ecology. 15 (8): 2083–2093. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02922.x. PMID 16780426. S2CID 9698728.
  7. ^ a b c Bennett, E. Andrew; Champlot, Sophie; Peters, Joris; Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Guimaraes, Silvia; Pruvost, Mélanie; Bar-David, Shirli; Davis, Simon J. M.; Gautier, Mathieu; Kaczensky, Petra; et al. (2017-04-19). Janke, Axel (ed.). "Taming the late Quaternary phylogeography of the Eurasiatic wild ass through ancient and modern DNA". PLOS ONE. 12 (4): e0174216. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1274216B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174216. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5396879. PMID 28422966.
  8. ^ a b Özkan, Mustafa; Gürün, Kanat; Yüncü, Eren; Vural, Kıvılcım Başak; Atağ, Gözde; Akbaba, Ali; Fidan, Fatma Rabia; Sağlıcan, Ekin; Altınışık, N. Ezgi (2023-06-07). The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass ( Equus hemionus hydruntinus ) (Report). Genomics. doi:10.1101/2023.06.05.543765.
  9. ^ Vereshchagin, N. K.; Baryshnikov, G. F. (1991). "The Ecological Structure of the 'Mammoth Fauna' in Eurasia". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 28 (3/4): 253–259. JSTOR 23735450.
  10. ^ Strani, Flavia; DeMiguel, Daniel (June 2023). "The role of climate change in the extinction of the last wild equids of Europe: Palaeoecology of Equus ferus and Equus hydruntinus during the Last Glacial Period". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 620: 111564. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111564.
  11. ^ a b Sánchez-Hernández, Carlos; Gourichon, Lionel; Soler, Joaquim; Soler, Narcís; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; Rivals, Florent (August 2020). "Dietary traits of ungulates in northeastern Iberian Peninsula: Did these Neanderthal preys show adaptive behaviour to local habitats during the Middle Palaeolithic?". Quaternary International. 557: 47–62. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.01.008.
  12. ^ Cassoli, P. F., Fiore, I. & Tagliacozzo, A. Butchering and exploitation of large mammals in the Epigravettian levels of Grotta Romanelli (Apulia, Italy). Anthropozoologica25–26, 309–318 (1997).
  13. ^ Bataille, Guido (April 2017). "Neanderthals of Crimea – Creative generalists of the late Middle Paleolithic. Contextualizing the leaf point industry Buran-Kaya III, Level C". Quaternary International. 435: 211–236. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.071.

November 01, 2023
european, wild, equus, hydruntinus, equus, hemionus, hydruntinus, hydruntine, extinct, equine, from, middle, pleistocene, late, holocene, europe, west, asia, possibly, north, africa, member, subgenus, asinus, closely, related, living, asiatic, wild, specific, . The European wild ass Equus hydruntinus or Equus hemionus hydruntinus or hydruntine is an extinct equine from the Middle Pleistocene to Late Holocene of Europe and West Asia and possibly North Africa It is a member of the subgenus Asinus and closely related to the living Asiatic wild ass The specific epithet hydruntinus means from Otranto Hydruntum in Latin European assTemporal range Middle Pleistocene Holocene 0 6 0 0025 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Life restorationScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder PerissodactylaFamily EquidaeGenus EquusSubgenus AsinusSpecies E hydruntinusBinomial name Equus hydruntinusRegalia 1907 Contents 1 Description 2 Evolutionary history 3 Ecology 4 Relationship with humans 5 See also 6 ReferencesDescription edit nbsp Complete skull from CrimeaIn comparison to the Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus the muzzle region of the skull is much shorter and somewhat proportionally wider the palate is elongate and the nasal notch is shorter The teeth are relatively small compared to skull size but are very hypsodont high crowned The shafts of the metacarpal and metatarsal bones are also more robust 1 Evolutionary history editEquus hydruntinus appeared first in the fossil record around 600 000 years before present during the Middle Pleistocene In the Late Pleistocene it was widespread throughout much of western Eurasia from the Middle East to Europe especially along the Mediterranean with fossil reports from Sicily Turkey Spain France and Portugal In the east the range apparently stretched at least to the Volga and to Iran In the north it reached almost to the North Sea in Germany and the British Isles Some authors suggest that it may have reached North Africa 1 Its range fragmented after the Last Glacial Maximum surviving into the Holocene its range gradually contracted further persisting in small regions of southern Europe into the Bronze Age until around 2700 BC and to around 1000 BC in Iran and the Caucasus 2 It has been suggested that the Iberian Zebro extinct in the wild from the 16th century could correspond to the Equus hydruntinus 3 although the word zebro or cebro comes from Latin equiferus meaning wild horse 4 Later research judged that it was unlikely that hydruntines persisted in the Iberian Peninsula beyond the Chalcolithic 2 The exact systematic position was formerly unclear but recent genetic and morphological analysis suggested that it is closely related to the Asiatic wild ass 5 6 A 2017 genetic study based on a partial mitochondrial genome suggested that it was a subspecies of Asiatic wild ass closer to the Khur than the Persian onager 7 However study of the full mitochondral and nuclear genomes of specimens from Catalhoyuk and Cadir Hoyuk in Anatolia present day Turkey dating to the early mid 1st millennium BC which represent the youngest known remains of the species with the youngest specimen dated to around 2698 2356 cal years Before Present or around 748 406 cal years BC suggest that all living Asiatic wild ass lineages sensu lato including the kiang are more closely related to each other than to E hydruntinus with the split between the two groups estimated at 0 8 1 million years ago Analysis of the nuclear genome suggested that there had been gene flow during the Holocene from the hydruntine lineage into Middle Eastern Asiatic wild asses 8 Ecology editThe evidence shows that the European ass favoured semi arid steppic conditions and showed a preference for temperate climates although it was also found in cool or cold conditions 1 It may have retreated to warmer locales during the coldest periods 7 although the relatively short muzzle indicates an adaptation for cold conditions It preferred open biotopes between shrubland favoured by true horses and grassland favoured by bovids It is believed to have shared this habitat with species such as the woolly rhinoceros 1 It is considered an ecologically important part of the ecosystem known as mammoth steppe where it filled a niche equivalent to that provided by the African wild ass or Zebra in the African savanna 9 Dental wear analysis of specimens from the Iberian Peninsula suggests a primarily grazing diet though they appear to have been flexible feeders having seasonally consumed browse 10 11 Relationship with humans editThe hydruntine is depicted in Palaeolithic cave paintings and engravings from France as well as on Neolithic pottery from Anatolia 7 Remains found with cut marks and or in archaeological sites spanning from the Paleolithic to the youngest known remains of the species in the Iron Age across the species range including Crimea Italy the Iberian Peninsula and Anatolia indicated that it was hunted by people including both modern humans and Neanderthals 8 11 12 13 nbsp Cave painting from Lascaux cave France nbsp Engraving in the cave Les Trois Freres France nbsp Engraving on a pendant from Putois cave France nbsp Hunting scene on Neolithic pottery from TurkeySee also editList of extinct animals of EuropeReferences edit a b c d Boulbes Nicolas van Asperen Eline N 2019 Biostratigraphy and Palaeoecology of European Equus Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7 301 doi 10 3389 fevo 2019 00301 ISSN 2296 701X a b Crees Jennifer J Turvey Samuel T May 2014 Holocene extinction dynamics of Equus hydruntinus a late surviving European megafaunal mammal Quaternary Science Reviews 91 16 29 Bibcode 2014QSRv 91 16C doi 10 1016 j quascirev 2014 03 003 ISSN 0277 3791 Antunes M T 2006 The zebro equidae and its extinction in portugal with an appendix on the noun zebro and the modern zebra In Mashkour M ed Equids in Time and Space Oxford Oxbow Books pp 211 236 Nores Carlos Morales Muniz Arturo Llorente Rodriguez Laura June 2015 The Iberian zebro what kind of a beast was it Anthropozoologica 50 1 21 23 doi 10 5252 az2015n1a2 S2CID 55004515 Burke Ariane Eisenmann Vera Ambler Graeme K May 2003 The systematic position of Equus hydruntinus an extinct species of Pleistocene equid Quaternary Research 59 3 459 469 doi 10 1016 S0033 5894 03 00059 0 S2CID 84330920 Orlando Ludovic Machkour Maryam Burke Ariane July 2006 Geographic distribution of an extinct equid Equus hydruntinus Mammalia Equidae revealed by morphological and genetical analyses of fossils Molecular Ecology 15 8 2083 2093 doi 10 1111 j 1365 294X 2006 02922 x PMID 16780426 S2CID 9698728 a b c Bennett E Andrew Champlot Sophie Peters Joris Arbuckle Benjamin S Guimaraes Silvia Pruvost Melanie Bar David Shirli Davis Simon J M Gautier Mathieu Kaczensky Petra et al 2017 04 19 Janke Axel ed Taming the late Quaternary phylogeography of the Eurasiatic wild ass through ancient and modern DNA PLOS ONE 12 4 e0174216 Bibcode 2017PLoSO 1274216B doi 10 1371 journal pone 0174216 ISSN 1932 6203 PMC 5396879 PMID 28422966 a b Ozkan Mustafa Gurun Kanat Yuncu Eren Vural Kivilcim Basak Atag Gozde Akbaba Ali Fidan Fatma Rabia Saglican Ekin Altinisik N Ezgi 2023 06 07 The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass Equus hemionus hydruntinus Report Genomics doi 10 1101 2023 06 05 543765 Vereshchagin N K Baryshnikov G F 1991 The Ecological Structure of the Mammoth Fauna in Eurasia Annales Zoologici Fennici 28 3 4 253 259 JSTOR 23735450 Strani Flavia DeMiguel Daniel June 2023 The role of climate change in the extinction of the last wild equids of Europe Palaeoecology of Equus ferus and Equus hydruntinus during the Last Glacial Period Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 620 111564 doi 10 1016 j palaeo 2023 111564 a b Sanchez Hernandez Carlos Gourichon Lionel Soler Joaquim Soler Narcis Blasco Ruth Rosell Jordi Rivals Florent August 2020 Dietary traits of ungulates in northeastern Iberian Peninsula Did these Neanderthal preys show adaptive behaviour to local habitats during the Middle Palaeolithic Quaternary International 557 47 62 doi 10 1016 j quaint 2020 01 008 Cassoli P F Fiore I amp Tagliacozzo A Butchering and exploitation of large mammals in the Epigravettian levels of Grotta Romanelli Apulia Italy Anthropozoologica25 26 309 318 1997 Bataille Guido April 2017 Neanderthals of Crimea Creative generalists of the late Middle Paleolithic Contextualizing the leaf point industry Buran Kaya III Level C Quaternary International 435 211 236 doi 10 1016 j quaint 2015 12 071 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title European wild ass amp oldid 1179180098, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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