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3D models related to the publication: Neogene sloth assemblages (Mammalia, Pilosa) of the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira, Colombia): implications for the Great American Biotic Interchange

Authors:

Abstract

INTRODUCTION : We here present the surface models of two specimens of sloths(Mammalia, Tardigrada) coming from the Late Pliocene WareFormation (Cocinetas Basin, La Guajira, Colombia, see Table 1). Along with three additional sloth taxa found in the same Formation, these specimens document the great diversity of this Neotropical locality. Furthermore, they represent a sloth assemblage from a locality just a few hundred thousand years older than the classically recognized first main pulse of the Great American Biotic interchange, that is located few hundred kilometers away from the Isthmus of Panama, the most likely route of migration of terrestrial taxa. These specimens are hence important in the understanding of this majorpaleobiogeographic event.
Dataset
3D models related to the publication: Neogene sloth assemblages
(Mammalia, Pilosa) of the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira, Colombia):
implications for the Great American Biotic Interchange
Amson Eli1,2,3*, Carrillo Juan David2, Jaramillo Carlos1
1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa-Ancon, Panama
2Pal¨
aontologisches Institut und Museum der Universit¨
at Z¨
urich, Z ¨
urich, Switzerland 2, CH-8006
3Humboldt-Universit¨
at, AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Bild Wissen Gestaltung - ein interdisziplin¨
ares Labor & Institut f¨
ur Biologie,
Berlin, Germany D-10115
*Corresponding author: eli.amson1988@gmail.com
Abstract
The present 3D Dataset contains the 3D models analyzed in Neogene sloth assemblages (Mammalia, Pilosa) of
the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira, Colombia): implications for the Great American Biotic Interchange. Palaeontol-
ogy. doi: 10.1111/pala.12244.
Keywords: Great American Biotic Interchange, Neotropics, palaeobiodiversity, Tardigrada, Ware Formation
Submitted: 2016-04-05, published online: 2016-06-08. doi: 10.18563/m3.2.1.e3
Model IDs Taxon Short
description
M3#106 MUN
STRI 12924
cf.
Nothrotherium
Fragmentary
basicranium with
posterior portion
of the skull roof.
M3#107 MUN
STRI 16535
Scelidotheriinae
gen. et sp. indet.
Complete left
ulna.
Table 1. List of models
INTRODUCTION
We here present the surface models of two specimens of sloths
(Mammalia, Tardigrada) coming from the Late Pliocene Ware
Formation (Cocinetas Basin, La Guajira, Colombia, see Ta-
ble 1). Along with three additional sloth taxa found in the
same Formation, these specimens document the great diver-
sity of this Neotropical locality. Furthermore, they represent a
sloth assemblage from a locality just a few hundred thousand
years older than the classically recognized first main pulse
of the Great American Biotic interchange, that is located few
hundred kilometers away from the Isthmus of Panama, the
most likely route of migration of terrestrial taxa. These speci-
mens are hence important in the understanding of this major
paleobiogeographic event.
METHODS
The fossil specimens were scanned with an Artec Spider 3D
using the geometry and texture tracking setting and processed
with Artec Studio 9 Education Software (Artec 3D). The 3D
surfaces scans were aligned semi-automatically with Artec
Studio 9. The aligned scans were converted into a single coor-
dinate system using the Global Registration function (texture
and geometry) and then fused into a single 3D model with the
Fast Fusion function of Artec Studio. The 3D surface models
are provided in .ply format, and can therefore be opened with
a wide range of freeware.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Alexander von Hum-
boldt Foundation; Swiss National Fund, grant number to M.
R. S
´
anchez-Villagra: SNF 31003A-149605; National Geo-
graphic Society; Anders Foundation; Gregory D. and Jennifer
Walston Johnson; National Science Foundation, grant number:
EAR 095767.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amson, E., Carrilo, J.D., Jaramillo, C. 2016. Neogene sloth
assemblages (Mammalia, Pilosa) of the Cocinetas Basin (La
Guajira, Colombia): implications for the Great American
Biotic Interchange. Palaeontology. doi: 10.1111/pala.12244
Article
We describe sloth assemblages from the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira peninsula, Colombia), found in the Neogene Castilletes and Ware formations, located in northernmost South America, documenting otherwise poorly known biotas. The tentative referral of a specimen to a small megatherioid sloth, Hyperleptus?, from the early-middle Miocene Castilletes Formation, suggests affinities of this fauna with the distant Santa Cruz Formation and documents a large latitudinal distribution for this taxon. The late Pliocene Ware Formation is much more diverse, with five distinct taxa representing every family of 'ground sloths'. This diversity is also remarkable at the ecological level, with sloths spanning over two orders of magnitude of body mass and probably having different feeding strategies. Being only a few hundred kilometres away from the Isthmus of Panama, and a few hundred thousand years older than the classically recognized first main pulse of the Great American Biotic interchange (GABI 1), the Ware Formation furthermore documents an important fauna for the understanding of this major event in Neogene palaeobiogeography. The sloths for which unambiguous affinities were recovered are not closely related to the early immigrants found in North America before GABI 1.
Article
We describe sloth assemblages from the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira peninsula, Colombia), found in the Neogene Castilletes and Ware formations, located in northernmost South America, documenting otherwise poorly known biotas. The tentative referral of a specimen to a small megatherioid sloth, Hyperleptus?, from the early-middle Miocene Castilletes Formation, suggests affinities of this fauna with the distant Santa Cruz Formation and documents a large latitudinal distribution for this taxon. The late Pliocene Ware Formation is much more diverse, with five distinct taxa representing every family of 'ground sloths'. This diversity is also remarkable at the ecological level, with sloths spanning over two orders of magnitude of body mass and probably having different feeding strategies. Being only a few hundred kilometres away from the Isthmus of Panama, and a few hundred thousand years older than the classically recognized first main pulse of the Great American Biotic interchange (GABI 1), the Ware Formation furthermore documents an important fauna for the understanding of this major event in Neogene palaeobiogeography. The sloths for which unambiguous affinities were recovered are not closely related to the early immigrants found in North America before GABI 1.