Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of maps and text-figures
- List of plates
- Introductory Note
- Foreword
- Introduction
- I The general geological evidence
- II Review of earlier reports on the fauna
- III Mammalian fauna: other than Bovidae
- IV Mammalian fauna: Bovidae
- V Non-mammalian fauna
- VI Review of the faunal evidence
- VII The problems of the climatic sequence
- VIII Dating by the potassium–argon technique
- IX Note on fossil human discoveries and cultural evidence
- Appendix 1 Preliminary notes on the stratigraphy of Beds I–IV, Olduvai Gorge, Tanganyika
- Appendix 2 Descriptive list of the named localities in Olduvai Gorge
- References
- Map
- Index
- Plate section
- Plate section
- Plate section
- Plate section
IV - Mammalian fauna: Bovidae
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of maps and text-figures
- List of plates
- Introductory Note
- Foreword
- Introduction
- I The general geological evidence
- II Review of earlier reports on the fauna
- III Mammalian fauna: other than Bovidae
- IV Mammalian fauna: Bovidae
- V Non-mammalian fauna
- VI Review of the faunal evidence
- VII The problems of the climatic sequence
- VIII Dating by the potassium–argon technique
- IX Note on fossil human discoveries and cultural evidence
- Appendix 1 Preliminary notes on the stratigraphy of Beds I–IV, Olduvai Gorge, Tanganyika
- Appendix 2 Descriptive list of the named localities in Olduvai Gorge
- References
- Map
- Index
- Plate section
- Plate section
- Plate section
- Plate section
Summary
Fossil remains of Bovidae are exceedingly plentiful in the Olduvai deposits. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, Bovidae normally represent a high proportion of the total animal population of most African habitats other than the dense forest. Consequently, it is only to be expected that fossil remains of this group should outnumber those of any other. Secondly, the vast majority of the fossils which we find in the excavations come from livingfloors or camp-sites of prehistoric man and represent the remains of his meals. Man apparently preferred the flesh of the Bovidae to that of many other groups, as he does throughout the world today.
Some of the Bovidae described in this chapter have been named previously; others are described here for the first time. In one or two cases, species have been included which are not represented in the collections to which I have had access in London, or in Nairobi. They were specifically listed as present in the Olduvai fauna by Dr Schwarz on the basis of Professor Reek's material.
The following is a list of the subfamilies, tribes, genera and species, which are dealt with in the pages which follow.
Subfamily: BOVINAE
Tribe: Strepsicerotini
Strepsiceros grandis sp.nov.
S. maryanus sp.nov.
S. stromeri (Schwarz)
Tragelaphus cf. scriptus
Tribe: Taurotragini
5. Taurotragus arkelli sp.nov.
Tribe: Bovini
6. Bularchus arok Hopwood
7. Gorgon olduvaiensis sp.nov.
8. G. Semiticus (Reck)
Subfamily: Cephalophinae
Tribe: Cephalophini
9. Philantomba cf. monticola
Subfamily: Hippotraginae
Tribe: Reduncini
10. Kobus sp.indet.
11. Kobus sp.indet.
12. […]
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Olduvai Gorge , pp. 37 - 69Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1965