Plio‐Pleistocene mammals from Mille‐Logya, Ethiopia, and the post‐Hadar faunal change

A dramatic shift in mammalian fauna occurred between the late Pliocene and earliest Pleistocene (c. 2.9–2.4 Ma) in the Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia, marking a significant environmental transition. The study reveals that while species diversity remained stable across three sedimentary units (Gafura, Seraitu, Uraitele), relative abundances changed drastically, with open-country bovids replacing suids as dominant herbivores. This faunal turnover coincides with the replacement of Australopithecus afarensis by Homo in the region, suggesting a link between environmental change and human evolution. Researchers analyzed 41 mammalian taxa, including rodents and bovids, using stratigraphic and taphonomic methods to reconstruct paleoecological shifts.

Geraads, D., Reed, D., Barr, W. A., Bobe, R., Stamos, P., & Alemseged, Z. (2021). Plio‐Pleistocene mammals from Mille‐Logya, Ethiopia, and the post‐Hadar faunal change. Journal of Quaternary Science, 36(6), 1073–1089. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3345