The Mare aux Songes (English: "sea of taro";[1]French:[ma.ʁ‿osɔ̃ʒ]) swamp is a lagerstätte located close to the sea in south eastern Mauritius. Many subfossils of recently extinct animals have accumulated in the swamp, which was once a lake, and some of the first subfossil remains of dodos were found there.
In 1865, a British railway engineer working in south-east Mauritius noticed bones that had been disturbed by workers digging peat.[1] He showed his findings to the government schoolmaster at Mahébourg, George Clark, who subsequently uncovered an abundance of subfossil dodo bones in the swamp. Clark had been searching for thirty years, having been inspired by Strickland & Melville's monograph about the bird.[2] In 1866, Clark explained his procedure to The Ibis, an ornithology journal:
After many fruitless visits to the spot... I resolved by sending some men into the centre of the marsh, where the water was about three feet deep and there, by feeling in the mud with their naked feet, they met with one entire tibia, a portion of another, and a tarso-metatarsus. The Dodo bones were imbedded only in the mud at the bottom of the water in the deepest part of the marsh... Encouraged by success, I employed several hands to search in the manner described, but I met with but few specimens of dodo bones till I thought of cutting away a mass of floating herbage nearly two feet in thickness, which covered the deepest part of the marsh. In the mud under this, I was rewarded by finding bones of many dodos.[3]
The dodo skeleton Richard Owen put together from bones found in the Mare aux Songes
Remains of over 300 dodos were found in the swamp, but only very few skull and wing bones among them, which may be explained by the upper bodies having been washed away or scavenged while the lower body was trapped, which is similar to the way many moa remains have been found in New Zealand marshes.[4] In 1889, Théodor Sauzier was commissioned to find more dodo remains in the Mare aux Songes. He was successful, and also found remains of other extinct species.[5] Twenty-six museums worldwide have significant holdings of dodo material, almost all found in the Mare aux Songes.[6]
In October 2005, after a hundred years of neglect, a part of the Mare aux Songes swamp was excavated by an international team of researchers. To prevent Malaria, the British had covered the swamp in hard core during their rule over Mauritius, which had to be removed. Many remains were found, including bones of dodos in various stages of maturity, and several bones obviously from the skeleton of one individual dodo, which have been preserved in their natural position.[7] These findings were made public in December 2005 in the Naturalis museum in Leiden. Of the fossils found in the swamp, 63% belonged to turtles of the extinct genus Cylindraspis, and 7.1% belonged to dodos, which had been deposited within several centuries, 4000 years ago.[8] Subsequent excavations suggested that dodos, along with other animals, became mired in the Mare aux Songes while trying to reach water during a long period of severe drought about 4,200 years ago.[9]
Paleofaunaedit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2013)
The following animals have been identified from fossils in the Mare aux Songes.[8][4]
^ abParker, Ian (14 January 2007). "Digging for Dodos". New Yorker. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
^Hume, J. P. (2006). "The History of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and the Penguin of Mauritius" (PDF). Historical Biology. 18 (2): 69–93. CiteSeerX10.1.1.695.6929. doi:10.1080/08912960600639400. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 2954728.
^ Clark, G. (April 1866). "Account of the late Discovery of Dodos' Remains in the Island of Mauritius". Ibis. 8 (2): 141–146. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1866.tb06082.x.
^ abHume, Julian Pender (2005). "Contrasting taphofacies in ocean island settings: the fossil record of Mascarene vertebrates". Proceedings of the International Symposium "Insular Vertebrate Evolution: The Palaeontological Approach". Monografies de la Societat d'Història Natural de les Balears. 12: 129–144.
^Newton, E.; Gadow, H. (1893). "IX. On additional bones of the Dodo and other extinct birds of Mauritius obtained by Mr. Theodore Sauzier". The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 13 (7): 281–302. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1893.tb00001.x.
^ abcd Rijsdijk, K. F.; Hume, J. P.; Bunnik, F.; Florens, F. B. V.; Baider, C.; Shapiro, B.; van der Plicht, H.; Janoo, A.; et al. (January 2009). "Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)" (PDF). Quaternary Science Reviews. 28 (1–2): 14–24. Bibcode:2009QSRv...28...14R. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.09.018. hdl:11370/bf8f6218-1f85-4100-8a90-02e5e70a89b6.
^ Rijsdijk, K. F.; Zinke, J.; de Louw, P. G. B.; Hume, J. P.; Van Der Plicht, H.; Hooghiemstra, H.; Meijer, H. J. M.; Vonhof, H. B.; et al. (2011). "Mid-Holocene (4200 kyr BP) mass mortalities in Mauritius (Mascarenes): Insular vertebrates resilient to climatic extremes but vulnerable to human impact". The Holocene. 21 (8): 1179–1194. Bibcode:2011Holoc..21.1179R. doi:10.1177/0959683611405236. S2CID 85845297.
^Hume, J. P. (2007). "Reappraisal of the parrots (Aves: Psittacidae) from the Mascarene Islands, with comments on their ecology, morphology, and affinities" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1513: 4–41. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1513.1.1.
^Hume, Julian Pender (2011). "Systematics, morphology, and ecology of pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbidae) of the Mascarene Islands, with three new species". Zootaxa. 3124: 28–39. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3124.1.1. ISBN978-1-86977-825-5.
mare, songes, english, taro, french, swamp, lagerstätte, located, close, south, eastern, mauritius, many, subfossils, recently, extinct, animals, have, accumulated, swamp, which, once, lake, some, first, subfossil, remains, dodos, were, found, there, stratigra. The Mare aux Songes English sea of taro 1 French ma ʁ o sɔ ʒ swamp is a lagerstatte located close to the sea in south eastern Mauritius Many subfossils of recently extinct animals have accumulated in the swamp which was once a lake and some of the first subfossil remains of dodos were found there Mare aux SongesStratigraphic range HoloceneTypeGeological formationLocationRegionAfricaCountryMauritiusMare aux Songes encircled on a map of the Mauritian railway system in 1866 Contents 1 History 2 Paleofauna 2 1 Birds 2 2 Reptiles 2 3 Mammals 3 ReferencesHistory editIn 1865 a British railway engineer working in south east Mauritius noticed bones that had been disturbed by workers digging peat 1 He showed his findings to the government schoolmaster at Mahebourg George Clark who subsequently uncovered an abundance of subfossil dodo bones in the swamp Clark had been searching for thirty years having been inspired by Strickland amp Melville s monograph about the bird 2 In 1866 Clark explained his procedure to The Ibis an ornithology journal After many fruitless visits to the spot I resolved by sending some men into the centre of the marsh where the water was about three feet deep and there by feeling in the mud with their naked feet they met with one entire tibia a portion of another and a tarso metatarsus The Dodo bones were imbedded only in the mud at the bottom of the water in the deepest part of the marsh Encouraged by success I employed several hands to search in the manner described but I met with but few specimens of dodo bones till I thought of cutting away a mass of floating herbage nearly two feet in thickness which covered the deepest part of the marsh In the mud under this I was rewarded by finding bones of many dodos 3 nbsp The dodo skeleton Richard Owen put together from bones found in the Mare aux SongesRemains of over 300 dodos were found in the swamp but only very few skull and wing bones among them which may be explained by the upper bodies having been washed away or scavenged while the lower body was trapped which is similar to the way many moa remains have been found in New Zealand marshes 4 In 1889 Theodor Sauzier was commissioned to find more dodo remains in the Mare aux Songes He was successful and also found remains of other extinct species 5 Twenty six museums worldwide have significant holdings of dodo material almost all found in the Mare aux Songes 6 In October 2005 after a hundred years of neglect a part of the Mare aux Songes swamp was excavated by an international team of researchers To prevent Malaria the British had covered the swamp in hard core during their rule over Mauritius which had to be removed Many remains were found including bones of dodos in various stages of maturity and several bones obviously from the skeleton of one individual dodo which have been preserved in their natural position 7 These findings were made public in December 2005 in the Naturalis museum in Leiden Of the fossils found in the swamp 63 belonged to turtles of the extinct genus Cylindraspis and 7 1 belonged to dodos which had been deposited within several centuries 4000 years ago 8 Subsequent excavations suggested that dodos along with other animals became mired in the Mare aux Songes while trying to reach water during a long period of severe drought about 4 200 years ago 9 Paleofauna editThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it June 2013 The following animals have been identified from fossils in the Mare aux Songes 8 4 Birds edit Birds reported from the Mare aux SongesSpecies Authority Common name Family Material IUCN status ImagesAphanapteryx bonasia Selys 1848 Red rail Rallidae Mandibles tibiotarsi Extinct nbsp Red rail fossils nbsp Broad billed parrot fossils nbsp Mauritius owl fossilsFulica newtoni Milne Edwards 1867 Mascarene coot Rallidae Hip and leg bones ExtinctCircus maillardi J Verreaux 1862 Reunion harrier Accipitridae Tarsometatarsi tibiae and metacarpals Locally extinctLophopsittacus mauritianus Owen 1866 Broad billed parrot Psittaculidae Skulls mandibles sternum furcula coracoids humeri ulnae femora tibiotarsi carpometacarpus 10 ExtinctPsittacula bensoni Holyoak 1973 Mascarene grey parakeet Psittaculidae Palatines 8 ExtinctRaphus cucullatus Linnaeus 1758 Dodo Columbidae All skeletal elements known from the swamp ExtinctAlectroenas nitidissima Scopoli 1786 Mauritius blue pigeon Columbidae Tarsometatarsus 11 ExtinctNesoenas mayeri Prevost 1843 Pink pigeon Columbidae Tarsometatarsus 8 EndangeredMascarenotus sauzieri Newton amp Gadow 1893 Mauritius owl Strigidae Humerus tibia tarsus unguals ExtinctPhoenicopterus roseus Pallas 1811 Greater flamingo Phoenicopteridae Tarsometatarsus Locally extinctReptiles edit Reptiles reported from the Mare aux SongesSpecies Authority Common name Family Material IUCN status ImagesCylindraspis inepta Gunther 1873 Saddle backed Mauritius giant tortoise Testudinidae Skulls carapaces Extinct nbsp Skull of Cylindraspis sp 8 Cylindraspis inepta 7 Cylindraspis triserrata 8 nbsp Mauritian giant skink fossilsCylindraspis triserrata Gunther 1873 Domed Mauritius giant tortoise Testudinidae Skulls carapaces ExtinctPhelsuma cf guimbeaui Mertens 1963 Orange spotted day gecko Geckoniidae Humerus N ALeiolopisma mauritiana Gunther 1877 Mauritian giant skink Scincidae Mandibles vertebrae ExtinctLeiolopisma telfairii Desjardins 1831 Round Island skink Scincidae Humerus VulnerableTyphlops cariei Hoffstetter 1946 Hoffstetter s worm snake Typhlopidae Seven trunk vertebrae ExtinctMammals edit Mammals reported from the Mare aux SongesSpecies Authority Common name Family Material IUCN status ImagesPteropus niger Kerr 1792 Mauritian flying fox Megachiroptera Mandible Endangered nbsp Small Mauritian flying fox specimen nbsp Natal free tailed bat type illustrationPteropus subniger Kerr 1792 Small Mauritian flying fox Megachiroptera Mandible ExtinctMormopterus acetabulosus Hermann 1804 Natal free tailed bat Microchiroptera Phalanges VulnerableTaphozous mauritianus Geoffroy 1818 Mauritian tomb bat Microchiroptera Phalanges Least concernReferences edit nbsp Wetlands portal a b Parker Ian 14 January 2007 Digging for Dodos New Yorker Retrieved 3 July 2023 Hume J P 2006 The History of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and the Penguin of Mauritius PDF Historical Biology 18 2 69 93 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 695 6929 doi 10 1080 08912960600639400 ISSN 0891 2963 S2CID 2954728 Clark G April 1866 Account of the late Discovery of Dodos Remains in the Island of Mauritius Ibis 8 2 141 146 doi 10 1111 j 1474 919X 1866 tb06082 x a b Hume Julian Pender 2005 Contrasting taphofacies in ocean island settings the fossil record of Mascarene vertebrates Proceedings of the International Symposium Insular Vertebrate Evolution The Palaeontological Approach Monografies de la Societat d Historia Natural de les Balears 12 129 144 Newton E Gadow H 1893 IX On additional bones of the Dodo and other extinct birds of Mauritius obtained by Mr Theodore Sauzier The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 13 7 281 302 doi 10 1111 j 1469 7998 1893 tb00001 x Fuller Errol 2002 Dodo From Extinction To Icon London HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 00 714572 0 Cheke Anthony S Hume Julian Pender 2008 Lost Land of the Dodo an Ecological History of Mauritius Reunion amp Rodrigues T amp A D Poyser p page needed ISBN 978 0 7136 6544 4 a b c d Rijsdijk K F Hume J P Bunnik F Florens F B V Baider C Shapiro B van der Plicht H Janoo A et al January 2009 Mid Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration Lagerstatte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo Raphus cucullatus PDF Quaternary Science Reviews 28 1 2 14 24 Bibcode 2009QSRv 28 14R doi 10 1016 j quascirev 2008 09 018 hdl 11370 bf8f6218 1f85 4100 8a90 02e5e70a89b6 Rijsdijk K F Zinke J de Louw P G B Hume J P Van Der Plicht H Hooghiemstra H Meijer H J M Vonhof H B et al 2011 Mid Holocene 4200 kyr BP mass mortalities in Mauritius Mascarenes Insular vertebrates resilient to climatic extremes but vulnerable to human impact The Holocene 21 8 1179 1194 Bibcode 2011Holoc 21 1179R doi 10 1177 0959683611405236 S2CID 85845297 Hume J P 2007 Reappraisal of the parrots Aves Psittacidae from the Mascarene Islands with comments on their ecology morphology and affinities PDF Zootaxa 1513 4 41 doi 10 11646 zootaxa 1513 1 1 Hume Julian Pender 2011 Systematics morphology and ecology of pigeons and doves Aves Columbidae of the Mascarene Islands with three new species Zootaxa 3124 28 39 doi 10 11646 zootaxa 3124 1 1 ISBN 978 1 86977 825 5 20 26 49 S 57 41 46 E 20 447 S 57 696 E 20 447 57 696 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mare aux Songes amp oldid 1184190204, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
