Pleistocene Rodents from Coastal Georgia
Abstract
During the most recent ice age, Clark Quarry, located along the coast of Georgia near Brunswick, was home to species of mammals that do not occur in the area today. This Pleistocene-aged locality is dominated by fossils of giant bison and mammoths. In the current study, we are looking at the rodent fossils in order to determine the nature of the environment that existed approximately 20,000 years ago. The rodent material is mostly isolated fossilized teeth recovered by wet screening on site. From most commonly found to least commonly found were the Cotton Rat (Sigmodon), Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys), North American Deer Mouse (Peromyscus), Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys), Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys), Round Tailed Muskrat (Neofiber), Capybara (Hydrochoerus), and Groundhog (Marmota). This assemblage of taxa suggests the presence of a freshwater marshland habitat at the time of deposition.
Pleistocene Rodents from Coastal Georgia
During the most recent ice age, Clark Quarry, located along the coast of Georgia near Brunswick, was home to species of mammals that do not occur in the area today. This Pleistocene-aged locality is dominated by fossils of giant bison and mammoths. In the current study, we are looking at the rodent fossils in order to determine the nature of the environment that existed approximately 20,000 years ago. The rodent material is mostly isolated fossilized teeth recovered by wet screening on site. From most commonly found to least commonly found were the Cotton Rat (Sigmodon), Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys), North American Deer Mouse (Peromyscus), Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys), Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys), Round Tailed Muskrat (Neofiber), Capybara (Hydrochoerus), and Groundhog (Marmota). This assemblage of taxa suggests the presence of a freshwater marshland habitat at the time of deposition.