Tooth microwear analysis of<i>Eotragus sansaniensis</i>(Mammalia: Ruminantia), one of the oldest known bovids

Abstract

ABSTRACT A comparative tooth micro wear data base was established and analyzed for seventeen extant ungulates (six browsing species, four mixed feeder species, and seven grazing species). The three dietary categories are clearly reflected by the microwear results. Browsers have more pits, fewer total scratches, and more cross scratches, while grazers have fewer pits, more total scratches, and fewer cross scratches. The data of the mixed feeders form bimodal distributions, consisting of a browsing group and a grazing group, indicating that they either graze or browse. The microwear values of E. sansaniensis clearly fall within the browsing domain and more specifically, closest to the browser Tragelaphus strepsiceros.