New Approaches on the Mexican Quaternary Mammals Studies

Summary

The Mexican Quaternary Mammal Database (MQMD) data are focused on published mammal occurrences in paleontological localities and archaeological sites in México, covering the last 2.6 million years and up to the early Holocene, although some unpublished data from museum collections are included, as well as “grey” literature. More than 15,000 records have been secured from 876 documents. That large database includes records for more than 800 localities and 250 mammal species pertaining to 12 orders, 43 families, and 146 genera. Importantly the same electronic framework was employed that has been used by FAUNMAP working group, including same field species codes; similarly, MQMD is capable to interact with the Mexican Mammals database from CONABIO, having the field species codes for the recent Mexican mammals too. Derived from initial data analyses, it was realized the great need to improve the radiometric control from the excavations in order to provide detailed data for ecological studies, like those undertaken with stable isotopes or other paleoclimate models or some ancient DNA research. Also, in the past 20 years since we created the original database, new findings have occurred, including the actual presence of human remains. Furthermore several collaborative endeavors are ongoing to improve the quality and quantity of the data.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Crossing Frontiers of Disciplines and Countries. A Symposium Honoring Eileen Johnson

Keywords

Spatial Coverage