Holocene Records of Nebraska Mammals
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Zea E-Books Collection Zea E-Books 3-19-2021 Holocene Records of Nebraska Mammals Hugh H. Genoways University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, Paleobiology Commons, Paleontology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Genoways, Hugh H., "Holocene Records of Nebraska Mammals" (2021). Zea E-Books Collection. 99. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/99 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Zea E-Books at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Zea E-Books Collection by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. HOLOCENE RECORDS OF NEBRASKA MAMMALS Hugh H. Genoways A survey of the archeological and paleontological literature allowed a com- pilation of Holocene records of mammals in Nebraska. This survey iden- tified Holocene records from 338 sites in 62 of the 93 Nebraska counties. These counties were located throughout state, but there was a concentration of sites in southwestern Nebraska where there were 27 fossil sites in Fron- tier County and 22 in Harlan County. Fossils sites were underrepresented in the Sand Hills region. Records of fossil mammals covered the entire Holo- cene period from 13,000 years ago until AD 1850. A minimum of 57 species (with eight additional species potentially present) representing six orders of mammals were represented in the compilation—four species of Lagomor- pha, four species of Soricomorpha, 17 species of Carnivora (with three addi- tional species potentially present), one species of Perissodactyla, six species of Artiodactyla, and 25 species of Rodentia (with five additional species po- tentially present). The remains of bison were found at 276 sites, which was more than for any other species in the state. Additional species that formed the main portion of the diet of Native Americans were the next most abun- dant in the fossil record—deer, pronghorn, and wapiti. That these food spe- cies dominated in the Holocene record was to be expected because fossils were recovered primarily from archeological sites. Cover design by Ted Genoways Cover map of Nebraska counties by Bruce Jones Design Cover image of Bison skull via Shutterstock Zea Books Lincoln, Nebraska ISBN 978-1-60962-194-0 doi:10.32873/unl.dc.zea.1277 HOLOCENE RECORDS OF NEBRASKA MAMMALS Hugh H. Genoways University of Nebraska State Museum W436 Nebraska Hall Lincoln, NE 68588-0514 Zea Books: Lincoln, Nebraska 2021 Copyright © 2021 Hugh H. Genoways. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-60962-193-3 paperback ISBN 978-1-60962-194-0 electronic book doi:10.32873/unl.dc.zea.1277 Zea Books are published by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Digital ebook edition (pdf) available at https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/ Print edition can be ordered from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/unllib Cover design by Ted Genoways Cover map of Nebraska counties by Bruce Jones Design Cover image of Bison skull via Shutterstock UNL does not discriminate based upon any protected status. please go to https://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract …….. ........................................................................................................... 1 Introduction …. .......................................................................................................... 1 Methods and Materials ................................................................................................ 4 Species Accounts ...................................................................................................... 5 Order Lagomorpha ........................................................................................ 5 Sylvilagus audubonii . ........................................................................ 5 Sylvilagus floridanus . ........................................................................ 6 Sylvilagus sp. ..................................................................................... 6 Lepus californicus . ............................................................................ 7 Lepus townsendii .............................................................................. 8 Lepus sp. ........................................................................................... 8 Order Soricomorpha ...................................................................................... 9 Blarina brevicauda ........................................................................... 9 Blarina hylophaga ........................................................................... 10 Cryptotis parva ............................................................................... 10 Scalopus aquaticus ........................................................................... 10 Order Carnivora ........................................................................................... 11 Puma concolor ................................................................................. 11 Lynx rufus ......................................................................................... 11 Lynx sp. ............................................................................................ 11 Canis familiaris ................................................................................ 12 Canis latrans .................................................................................... 12 Canis lupus nubilus .......................................................................... 13 Canis sp. .......................................................................................... 14 Urocyon cinereoargenteus . .............................................................. 15 Vulpes velox ..................................................................................... 15 Vulpes fulva ...................................................................................... 16 Ursus americanus ............................................................................ 17 Ursus sp. .......................................................................................... 17 Lontra canadensis ............................................................................ 18 Mustela frenata ................................................................................ 18 Mustela nigripes ............................................................................... 19 Mustela sp. ....................................................................................... 19 Neovison vison ................................................................................. 19 iii Gulo gulo ......................................................................................... 20 Taxidea taxus ................................................................................... 20 Mephitis mephitis ............................................................................. 21 Procyon lotor ................................................................................... 22 Order Perissodactyla . ................................................................................... 23 Equus caballus ................................................................................. 23 Order Artiodactyla ....................................................................................... 24 Alces alces ........................................................................................ 24 Odocoileus hemionus ....................................................................... 24 Odocoileus virginianus .................................................................... 25 Odocoileus sp. .................................................................................. 26 Cervus canadensis ........................................................................... 28 Antilocapra americana .................................................................... 30 Bison bison ....................................................................................... 32 Order Rodentia ............................................................................................. 36 Sciurus niger .................................................................................... 36 Sciurus sp. ........................................................................................ 36 Urocitellus elegans .......................................................................... 37 Poliocitellus franklinii ..................................................................... 37 Ictidomys tridecemlineatus .............................................................. 38 Ictidomys, Poliocitellus, Urocitellus, Xerospermophilus sp. .......... 38 Cynomys ludovicianus ..................................................................... 39 Marmota monax ............................................................................... 40 Castor canadensis . ........................................................................... 41 Perognathus sp. ................................................................................ 43 Chaetodipus hispidus ....................................................................... 44 Chaetodipus sp. ............................................................................... 44 Dipodomys ordii ..............................................................................