Hippopotamids from the Djurab Pliocene faunas, Chad, Central Africa

In the Djurab Desert (Chad), the fossiliferous sectors of Kossom Bougoudi, Kollé and Koro Toro have yielded a great amount of fossil hippo remains aged between ca. 5 and 3 Ma. Hippos from the first two areas represent a distinct lineage evolving in Chad during the early Pliocene. Indeed, a new speci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of African earth sciences (1994) 2003-01, Vol.36 (1), p.15-27
Main Authors: Boisserie, Jean-Renaud, Brunet, Michel, Andossa, Likius, Vignaud, Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Central Africa
Chad
Earth Sciences
Fossil
Hippopotamidae
New species
Paleontology
Pliocene
Sciences of the Universe
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Summary:In the Djurab Desert (Chad), the fossiliferous sectors of Kossom Bougoudi, Kollé and Koro Toro have yielded a great amount of fossil hippo remains aged between ca. 5 and 3 Ma. Hippos from the first two areas represent a distinct lineage evolving in Chad during the early Pliocene. Indeed, a new species from Kollé is described ( Hexaprotodon mingoz sp. nov.) and the Kossom Bougoudi fossils may constitute its ancestral stem. At Koro Toro, a different but very rare form occurs, and its affinities remain unclear. These hippopotamids testify to a more complex family history than previously recognized, and reinforce the idea of using this group for biochronology. The hippos underscore relative endemism of the Chadian fossil faunas and would indicate a greater and earlier aridity of this region in contrast to East Africa.
ISSN:1464-343X
1879-1956
DOI:10.1016/S0899-5362(03)00021-6