Sirenians in southern Australia-first fossil record

The anterior half of the right mandible of a dugong is described from the early Pliocene Loxton Sands of the Murray Basin in South Australia. This is the oldest dugong fossil known in Australia, and, although not identifiable, is possibly antecedent to or the oldest representative of the genus Dugon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alcheringa (Sydney) 2006-01, Vol.30 (sup1), p.295-305
Main Author: PLEDGE, NEVILLE S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
dugong
global warming
high sea-level
Murray Basin
Pliocene
South Australia
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Summary:The anterior half of the right mandible of a dugong is described from the early Pliocene Loxton Sands of the Murray Basin in South Australia. This is the oldest dugong fossil known in Australia, and, although not identifiable, is possibly antecedent to or the oldest representative of the genus Dugong. Its provenance so far from the Equator supports other evidence for global warming and high sea-levels during the late Cenozoic.
ISSN:0311-5518
1752-0754
DOI:10.1080/03115510609506868