Fossil Elephants of Turkey

Year 2012, Volume: 40 Issue: 5 - Special Issue, 365 - 370, 01.12.2012

Ebru Albayrak

Abstract

Fossil elephants are a favourite subject of study on patterns and process of evolution. They also have importance as a guide fossil in Quaternary studies. After their emergence in Africa at the Miocene-Pliocene boundry, Elephas and Mammuthus migrated into Eurasia. And as Turkey is at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, it occupies an important position for the migration of elephantids. Until now Mammuthus meridionalis, M. trogontherii and Elephas maximus were identified from Turkey. Some M. meridionalis remains have some primitive features compared to typical meridionalis which might be important in the evolution of the species. M. trogontherii remains from Dursunlu have strange features that some have features of typical trogontherii, but some have primitive features evoking meridionalis. E. maximus was identified from Gavur Lake Swamp. New radiocarbon dates indicate that at approximately 3500 BP, the range of the Asian elephant extended as far west as south-east of Turkey.

Keywords

Turkey, Elephantidae, Mammuthus meridionalis, Mammuthus trogontherii, Elephas maximus

Türkiye’nin Fosil Filleri

Abstract

F osil filler evrim mekanizmaları ve işleyişi konularında önemli bir araçtır. Filler ayrıca Kuvaterner çalışmalarında kılavuz fosil olarak da öneme sahiptir. Miyosen-Pliyosen sınırında Afrika’da ortaya çıkmalarından sonra Elephas ve Mammuthus cinsleri Avrasya’ya göç etti. Afrika, Asya ve Avrupa’nın ortasında yer alan Türkiye, filgiller ailesinin göç yolları açısından büyük öneme sahiptir. Bugüne kadar ülkemizden Mammuthus meridionalis, M. trogontherii ve Elephas maximus teşhis edildi. M. meridionalis’e ait buluntulardan bir kısmının meridionalis tip örneğine göre ilkel özelliklere sahip olması türün evrimi açısından önemli olabilir. Dursunlu’dan teşhis edilen M. trogontherii fosillerinin bir kısmı tipik trogontherii özellikleri gösterirken bir kısmı meridionalis’e benzerlik gösteren ilkel özelliklere sahiptir. E. maximus ise Gavur Gölü Bataklığı’ndan teşhis edildi. Buradan alınan örneklerden yapılan radyokarbon analizleri sonucuna göre günümüzden yaklaşık 3500 yıl önce Asya fili Türkiye’nin güneydoğusuna kadar yayılım göstermiştir

Keywords

Türkiye, Elephantidae, Mammuthus meridionalis, Mammuthus trogontherii, Elephas maximus

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