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Myotragus balearicus is the terminal species of a Caprinae lineage that inhabited the Balearic Islands since the Messinian. Myotragus balearicus had a relatively small brain, reported to be half the size of a contemporary bovid of similar size. This study presents a reassessment of its brain size and anatomy. We demonstrate that the brain of M. balearicus is only 17% smaller when compared to Late Miocene taxa. Since the ancestors of M. balearicus were isolated on the Balearics in the Late Miocene, we deduce that the small brain size of M. balearicus is a feature largely retained from its continental ancestor and only partially the result of geographic isolation. The reduction in brain size can be attributed to reduction of the occipital region. We hypothesise that neuroanatomical changes during the evolutionary process of dwarfism were likely influenced by the absence of ecologically relevant predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 3000 fossil vertebrate specimens have been unearthed from the new Lower Pleistocene locality of Karnezeika, Peloponnese, Greece. The vast majority of the material (~90%) represents bovids, and their systematic study is provided herein. The bovid assemblage consists of four taxa. A significant portion of the collected bovid material belongs to a small sized gazelle, attributed to Gazella bouvrainae, and to the large Rupicaprini Gallogoral meneghinii. A relatively small sized form of Gazellospira torticornis has been recorded as well, and in addition the scarce dental material belonging to an unspecified Caprini form is mentioned as Caprini gen. et sp. indet. This combination of taxa is typical for the Middle Villafranchian of Greece (2.6–1.8 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the ecomorphological characteristics of two sympatric species of ictitheres: Ictitherium viverrinum Roth & Wagner, 1854 and Hyaenictitherium wongii (Zdansky, 1924) from the Late Miocene of the Eastern Mediterranean. These two species represent different taxonomic groups with allegedly distinct ecological roles. The values of 11 ecomorphological proxies were calculated using cranial and dental elements, in order to make an extensive comparison between them (body mass, bite force, canines' and incisors' bending strength, endocranial volume, relative rostral width, dental mesowear, intercuspid notches and carnassial vs grinding surfaces). The proxies show similar results for both species, pointing out that they had a similar ecological niche in the Late Miocene ecosystems. Carnivorans are usually in the top of the food chain, so the existence of two ecologically similar species in the same spatiotemporal range results in interspecific competition. This explains the geographical distinction of the two species with several localities being dominated by only one of the two (e.g. Samos for Hyaenictitherium Kretzoi, 1938 and Pikermi for Ictitherium Wagner, 1848). The reason for the prevalence of each genus can be associated with their postcranial morphology, as Hyaenictitherium has been proposed to be better adapted to chase hunting, because of its longer limbs, while Ictitherium is characterized by shorter and stouter limbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus is an extinct Mediterranean species that inhabited the island of Cyprus during the Late Pleistocene. This iconic species last appears at the archaeological site of Akrotiri Aetokremnos, dated to ~12 500 cal. BP. Taxonomically, the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus has been assigned to Hippopotamus minor , which, based on morphology, is more closely related to the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius ; today present only in Sub-Saharan Africa) than to the West African pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Despite adverse conditions for preservation that greatly reduce the likelihood of DNA preservation in subfossil samples from hot environments, we recovered and analysed ancient DNA from petrous bones excavated from Akrotiri Aetokremnos. By whole mitogenome hybridization capture and exhaustive high-throughput sequencing, we were able to investigate the molecular phylogeny and taxonomic status of the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus. The results of our low-coverage ancient mitogenomic analyses support the close phylogenetic affinity of H. minor to H. amphibius , with their divergence estimated at ~1.36 or 1.58 Mya, depending on the molecular dating method. To our knowledge, this study constitutes the first step towards reconstruction of the molecular phylogeny of Mediterranean Hippopotaminae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovidae display a distinctive cranial architecture, characterised by multifarious frontal sinuses varying in size and shape. These features are usually considered to be of phylogenetic importance and their functional importance still remains elusive. Pneumatisation is the process in which cranial sinuses result from the resorption and deposition of the bone in response to biomechanical stress. In this study, we use high resolution computed tomography (CT-scanning) to identify these internal cranial structures on 12 bovid cranial specimens from Upper Miocene Greek localities. The present study focuses on two genera, Tragoportax and Miotragocerus, so as to explore the variance inside this group in terms of frontal sinuses. The non-destructive nature of this method allows 3D digital representation of cranial internal features of fossilised material in high resolution, providing also volumetric data of the sinuses. We demonstrate the unique internal morphology that these species possess. This morphology is comprised by wide frontal sinuses conforming closely to the shape of the frontal bone and that extend up to the base of their horn cores. The volume of the sinuses was strongly correlated to the frontal bone size and cranial volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remains of the fossil aardvark Amphiorycteropus gaudryi (Orycteropodidae, Tubulidentata) from the late Miocene locality of Kerassia in Greece are here described and compared with material of other orycteropodid species. The studied material includes a partially preserved skull, two mandibular fragments, two lumbar vertebrae, the first rather complete sacrum of the species and some appendicular skeletal remains. The new material reveals noteworthy information on the diagnostic characteristics of the species, such as the variable morphology of the foramen magnum. Furthermore, we comment on some ecomorphological features associated with the fossorial habits of A. gaudryi and discuss its tail length. Lastly, the biogeographical distribution of the species is examined. Emphasis is given to its noticeable absence in the classical locality of Pikermi (Attica) and its presence on Samos Island, at a slightly younger age. In Kerassia, A. gaudryi does not occur in the lower fossiliferous horizon, but only in the stratigraphically younger, upper horizon. Since A. gaudryi is known from MN11 to MN13, its exclusive occurrence in the upper fossiliferous horizon of Kerassia could be connected to spatial and temporal environmental changes of the Eastern Mediterranean during the late Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes an almost complete cervical region of the fossil ostrich Struthio karatheodoris from the Turolian locality of Kerassia (Euboea, Greece). The material comes from two distinct fossiliferous horizons and consists of twelve cervical vertebrae, ten of which belong to the same individual. These specimens are the first remains of a large flightless bird from Kerassia and represent some of the very few findings of the genus Struthio in the sub-Paratethyan (Balkan-Iranian) bioprovince from the late Miocene. The morphology of the cervical vertebrae implies that the neck of S. karatheodoris had similar biomechanical properties to that of extant ostriches, pointing to similar ecological adaptations, relating to food procurement. However, it probably had a more flexible and stronger neck, which might indicate a somewhat different ecology. Furthermore, considerable intraspecific size and morphological variation of the cervical vertebrae of S. karatheodoris is observed. This signifies that S. karatheodoris was not necessarily larger than S. camelus as previously suspected, but their size ranges in fact overlap significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here describe new remains of amphibians and reptiles from the early Miocene (MN 4) of two different Greek localities, Aliveri and Karydia. The newly described material consists of urodelans, alytids, indeterminate anurans, turtles, crocodylians, lacertids, indeterminate scincomorphs, anguids, colubrids, viperids, and indeterminate snakes. The presence of the frog Latonia cf. gigantea in Greece is documented for the first time. Additionally, the presence of viperids in Aliveri implies a much wider distribution for these snakes during the early Miocene of Europe. Of special interest is the presence of a peculiar colubrid that seems to possess a hitherto unknown vertebral structure, which is herein defined as the 'paracentral ridge'. Although incomplete, the new material has important taxonomic and biogeographic implications, as it enhances our understanding of southeastern European herpetofaunas from the early Miocene, a time period that was characterised by major dispersal and extinction events and climatic change that affected the whole continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating fossil hominids and reconstructing their environments is critically important for understanding human evolution. Here we date the potentially oldest hominin, Graecopithecus freybergi from Europe and constrain the environmental conditions under which it thrived. For the Graecopithecus-bearing Pikermi Formation of Attica/Greece, a saline aeolian dust deposit of North African (Sahara) provenance, we obtain an age of 7.37–7.11 Ma, which is coeval with a dramatic cooling in the Mediterranean region at the Tortonian-Messinian transition. Palaeobotanic proxies demonstrate C4-grass dominated wooded grassland-to-woodland habitats of a savannah biome for the Pikermi Formation. Faunal turnover at the Tortonian-Messinian transition led to the spread of new mammalian taxa along with Graecopithecus into Europe. The type mandible of G. freybergi from Pyrgos (7.175 Ma) and the single tooth (7.24 Ma) from Azmaka (Bulgaria) represent the first hominids of Messinian age from continental Europe. Our results suggest that major splits in the hominid family occurred outside Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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