Open AccessOn the Pleistocene extinctions of Alaskan mammoths and horses
Author(s) -
Andrew R. Solow,
David L. Roberts,
Karen M. Robbirt
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.0509480103
Subject(s) - megafauna , pleistocene , extinction (optical mineralogy) , fossil record , paleontology , extinction event , geology , mammoth , early pleistocene , geography , biological dispersal , population , demography , sociology
The fossil record has been used to shed light on the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions in North America and elsewhere. It is therefore important to account for variability due to the incompleteness of the fossil record and error in dating fossil remains. Here, a joint confidence region for the extinction times of horses and mammoths in Alaska is constructed. The results suggest that a prior claim that the extinction of horses preceded the arrival of humans cannot be made with confidence.