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In the Iberian Peninsula the fossil record of artiodactyls spans over 53 million years. During the Pleistocene, wild cattle species such as Bison and especially Bos became common. In Late Pleistocene, the aurochs (Bos primigenius) was widespread and the only bovine living along the large river valleys of southern Iberia. Although commonly found in fossil sites and especially in cave bone assemblages, the trace fossil record of aurochs was known worldwide only from the Holocene. Large bovine and roe deer/caprine tracks were found in at least five horizons of the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5) beach and eolian deposits of Cape Trafalgar (Cadiz Province, South of Spain). The large bovine tracks are formally described as Bovinichnus uripeda igen. et isp. nov. and compared with the record of aurochs tracks, large red deer tracks and steppe bison biogeographical distribution in Iberia. Aurochs were the most likely producers of the newly described Trafalgar Trampled Surface (TTS) and some of the large artiodactyl tracks in the Matalascañas Trampled Surface, representing the oldest aurochs track record known. This new evidence, together with comparisons with the record of possible aurochs tracks in the Mid-Late Pleistocene coastal deposits from the Asperillo cliff section in Matalascañas (Huelva Province, SW Spain) and bone assemblages known in Gibraltar, point to a recurrent use of the coastal habitat by these large artiodactyls in SW Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ichnospecies Gastrochaneolites dijugus Kelly and Bromley 1984 and Teredolites longissimus Kelly and Bromley 1984, attributed to the boring activity of gastrochaenoid and pholadid bivalves, are described respectively from the Miocene Vilanova Basin and the Pliocene Almería-Níjar Basin. Miocene and Pliocene traces are preserved as positive casts associated to invertebrate shells and wood fragments, respectively; in both cases, the host substrate (shells and wood) has been lost almost entirely by different taphonomic processes (mainly dissolution). For the first time in the fossil record, the complete ichnogenetic sequence of these two ichnospecies is described and figured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new ichnospecies, Linichnus bromleyi, is described on bone substrate as the result of a very likely predator/scavenger interaction. L. bromleyi consists of a single groove with a non-serrated edge. This new ichnotaxon is compared with L. serratus which was defined as a single elongate serrate-edged groove. L. bromleyi has been identified over the surface of bones of marine mammals (in particular, cetaceans and pinnipeds) from two Pliocene outcrops of Andalusia, southern Spain. The new ichnospecies can be clearly related with a trophic interaction between sharks and marine mammals (mainly whales, dolphins and seals). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine mammal fossils (except pinnipeds) have commonly been found in Pliocene marine siliciclastic layers of the Neogene Guadalquivir Basin in Southwest Spain. A few Neogene phocid innominate bones are known from the Western Paratethys and Western Atlantic. Here we describe a new innominate bone from the early Pliocene (5.3–3.6 Ma) of the Western Paratethys (Spain), which is typical of the subfamily Monachinae, and has a flattened ilium similar to representatives of the tribe Lobodontini, particularly Leptonychotes weddellii. Comparison with other fossil monachine innominates from North America, South America and South Africa reveals that this specimen represents the genus Homiphoca, but species classification remains premature. This is the first European record of the genus Homiphoca and has paleobiogeographic implications, questioning the geological age of the Varswater Formation 'E' Quarry, Langebaanweg, Cape Province of South Africa. This discovery from the eastern North Atlantic further implies a more regular transatlantic gene flow in Miocene and Pliocene times than today. We argue that during the Messinian-Zanclean crisis, monachines became isolated and retreated southward to lower latitudes, possibly due to climatic deterioration (during glacial stages) and competition from the cold-adapted phocines from the north. Abbreviations: NMNH: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC., USA; CMM: Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Maryland (USA); UTM: Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aeolian Pleistocene deposits recorded in the Rock of Gibraltar (S Iberian Peninsula) present a significant sedimentary thickness that fills the wide sea caves and covers its steep slopes. In Catalan Bay these deposits register the development of cliff-foot and rampant dunes that form a 35° sand ramp, 1 km long and up to 300 m in height formed by moderately to well-sorted sands, slightly carbonated and weakly cemented. This morphosedimentary evidence is associated with MIS 5−2 sea level fluctuations. Its internal structure shows lamination sets of 2–3 m in thickness and planar and trough cross-bedding. In these beds, five morphotypes of mammalian footprints have been recognized in vertical cross sections and convex hyporeliefs. Most of them present a moderate degree of conservation due to the poor cementation of the sands. These icnites are related to the activity of terrestrial mammals, possibly belonging to Homininae, Proboscidea, Artiodactila and Carnivora. The affinity between the footprints and their tracemakers has been established in the basis of their physical parameters, the shape of the footprints, their comparison with similar footprints and the correlation with the fossil fauna of vertebrates described for the Late Pleistocene in Gibraltar. These findings represent the first palaeoichnological record in the aeolian sediments of Gibraltar and indirectly corroborate the occupation of the coastal dune landscape by several terrestrial mammals during the Late Pleistocene. In addition, they help reconstructing the animal behaviour and interaction with the extensive dune systems that developed at the foot of the Rock slopes. The age of the tracks has been established within the MIS 2, during the probable Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in the climate refuge of Gibraltar. • The Late Pleistocene aeolianites on Gibraltar contain abundant mammal tracks. • These deposits form a lower set of cliff-foot dunes and another of rampant sands. • The fossil tracks are concentrated in two units dated by OSL in 28 ± 3 ka (MIS 2). • The tracemakers identified are Homininae, Proboscidea, Artiodactila and Carnivora. • A footprint is assigned to Homo neanderthalensis by a photogrammetric analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Huelva Coast of SW Spain erosion by recent marine storms revealed the presence of a paleosol where an extensive tracksite known as "Matalascañas Trampled Surface" (MTS) has been documented. The MTS includes tracks and trackways of large species of mammals, along with bird trace fossils, invertebrate burrows and root traces. Within this record, the presence of several hominin footprints and trackways stands out. Despite previous uncertainties about the producer of these footprints, new OSL age of 151 ± 11 ka secures their attribution to Neanderthals, the only hominins known to have been present in the Iberian Peninsula during the MIS6-5 transition. Moreover, typical Mousterian lithic industry with Levallois knapping was found associated with the ichnological record. This lithic industry is characterized by the selection of raw materials from outcrops in a short-distance range to the tracksite. The general characteristics of the lithics are derived both from the nature of the raw material and from the nature of the site itself, which cannot be seen as a settlement, but rather as a place of passage for fauna, including Neanderthals, where a few human individuals performed short-term activities, such as food procurement and/or meat processing. • The Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) include tracks and trackways of Neanderthals. • These tracks accompany others of mammals and birds from the MIS 6-5 transition. • The new OSL dating of MTS reports an age of 151.1 ± 11 ka. • At MTS a typical Mousterian lithic industry with Levallois carving has been recorded. • MTS is related to shallow water lakes developed in a coastal interdune position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among invertebrates and both in modern and ancient marine environments, certain echinoderms have been and are some of the most active and widespread bioturbators and bioeroders. Bioturbation and/or bioerosion of regular and irregular echinoids, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and crinoids are known from modern settings, and some of the resulting traces have their counterparts in the fossil record. By contrast, surficial trails or trackways produced by other modern echinoderms, e.g., sand dollars, exhibit a lower preservation rate and have not yet been identified in the fossil record. In addition, the unique features of the echinoderm skeleton (e.g., composition, rapid growth, multi-element architecture, etc.) may promote the production of related traces produced by the reutilization of echinoderm ossicles (e.g., burrow lining), predation (e.g., borings), or parasitism (e.g., swellings or cysts). Finally, the skeletal robustness of some echinoids may promote their post mortum use as benthic islands for the settlement of hard-substrate dwellers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new ichnotaxon, Lepeichnus giberti igen. nov. isp. nov., is described from sandy silts and sands of the upper Miocene (Tortonian–Messinian) of the Guadalquivir Basin (Lepe, Huelva, SW Spain). It is a complex bioturbation structure consisting of two vertical shafts interconnected by a horizontal C-shaped gallery, which in turn exhibits a hook-shaped branch. L. giberti is interpreted as probably produced by a crustacean that could have combined dwelling, deposit feeding and farming strategies in a shallow-marine environment. Its architectural similarities with modern upogebiid burrows suggest the record of a new burrowing behavior, not yet known today, for this group of mud shrimps. The large number of studied specimens and their exceptional degree of preservation allow proposing the new concept of ‘ichnogeny’, as a tool to describe the origin and development of a modern or fossil boring or burrowing trace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern fish are able to produce a plethora of different traces (both bioturbation and bioerosion structures) according to several behaviours, yet only five ichnotaxa have been interpreted as produced by the activity of fish in the fossil record. Many taphonomic factors may favour the non-fossilization of many of these traces and, even fossilized, they could have been misinterpreted. In this contribution, shallow and bilobed traces produced by the feeding activity of the perciform fish Diplodus vulgaris (Sparidae) in the estuary of the Piedras River (Lepe, Huelva, SW Spain) are described. Neoichnological study and comparison of these bioturbation structures with the fossil record allow associating them as Cruziana - and Rusophycus -like traces, i.e. traces with features very similar to those of such ichnogenera. Since these ichnotaxa have been commonly interpreted as the result of the locomotion and resting of different kinds of invertebrates, in order to get a better understanding of the marine and continental fossil record, we also propose taking into account fish as potential producers of this kind of traces in future paleoichnological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callianassids are among the most commonly found decapod crustacean fossils but their generic assignment is often difficult. Numerous cheliped remains have been found in the upper Miocene deposits of southwest Spain allowing description of a new species of a ghost shrimp, Podocallichirus laepaensis. The assignment of the new form to the respective genus is based mainly on the morphology of the major cheliped merus and provides useful implications for paleontological studies. Podocallichirus laepaensis is the first fossil record of the genus known to date. Several specimens preserved in association with and within Ophiomorpha traces are interpreted as in situ preservation. Thus, the new ghost shrimp is identified as the producer of trace fossils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Late Pleistocene surface full of tracks and trackways (named 'Matalascañas Trampled Surface') has been exposed at the base of the 'El Asperillo' cliff (Doñana National Park, Matalascañas, Huelva, southwestern Spain) as a result of recent storms. This surface has been identified as the bottom of the unit AU1, according to the local stratigraphic section, and originated during the marine stage MIS-5 (∼106 ± 19 kyr). This trampled surface records exceptional tracks and trackways of different terrestrial vertebrates. In particular, three morphotypes of tracks ascribed to Artiodactyla (the auroch Bos primigenius ? the red deer Cervus elaphus and wild boar Sus scrofa), one to Elephantidae (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), one of Canidae (Canis lupus), and three to waterbirds (geese, Anserinae, and waders, Charadrii) have been identified. This ichnoassociation is characteristic of a shorebird ichnofacies. We interpret this trampled surface to have been related to puddled areas of shallow waters in an inter-dune position, similar to present day examples in the Doñana National Park. • The Late Pleistocene aeolian deposits on Matalascañas (SW Spain) contain abundant mammal and bird tracks and trackways. • These deposits form a lower set of cliff-foot dunes and another of rampant sands. • The fossil tracks and trackways are concentrated in two units dated by OSL in 106 ± 19 kyr (MIS 5). • The tracemakers identified are artiodactils, elephants, wolves, waterbirds and shorebirds. • The palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the surface is related to puddled areas of shallow waters in an interdune position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ghost shrimp Turbiocheir minutospinata has so far been known only from its holotype from the Eocene/Oligocene rocks of Río Turbio, Patagonia in Argentina. Recently, the additional specimen has been found in the Eocene strata of the Boca Lebu Formation of the Arauco Basin, Chile. New material adds information on the morphology of chelipeds and allows evaluation of the degree of heterochely of the studied ghost shrimp. Moreover, comparison of Turbiocheir minutospinata with extant ghost shrimp taxa allows synonymisation of Turbiocheir with Anacalliax. With this act the fossil record of Anacalliax is extended into early Eocene. The occurrence of Anacalliax minutospinata comb. nov. is proposed to represent a reliable calibration point for Anacalliacidae, which was not available until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La Pastora tholos is the most complete and characteristic megalithic monument of the Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán mega-site. This monument was built using three types of rock, each with different functions and coming from three different places: Paleozoic quartzarenite, granite, and Tertiary calcareous sandstone. A detailed petrological study of the rocks of the tholos and outcrops of similar rocks in the surroundings has been carried out, locating the possible source areas in areas at least 30 km to the N of the monument for the quartzarenite, 15 km for the granite, and 15 km to the S for the sandstone. Therefore, the community that built the monument has a high knowledge of the nature by, which allows them to locate these resources, and a sufficient social organization to exploit them and move them to the mega-site. In this sense, the layout of the outcrops suggests the possible use of boats or rafts to facilitate their displacement, or at least part of their movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valencina (Seville, Spain) is one of the most important megalithic sites of the third millennium BCE in Western Europe. Among its most celebrated monuments are the tholoi of Montelirio, La Pastora, Matarrubilla, and Structure 10.042-10.049. Although sharing the same architectural tradition, these monuments were raised at different times of Valencina's history and present important formal differences. In particular, the tholoi of La Pastora and Matarrubilla contrast with that of Montelirio in that they are devoid of artistic ornamentation such as paintings and engravings, showing instead an inordinate number of natural geological features. This study, focusing on La Pastora and Matarrubilla, offers an innovative approach to the notion of "megalithic art." Firstly, these elements are characterized and classified and their natural origin established. Thus, the calcareous sandstone blocks dated from the Tertiary reveal structures on their surfaces generated by biological (bioturbation) and physical (by currents) processes during the Neogene. The surfaces of certain slabs of identical lithology at La Pastora experienced more recent intense marine bioerosion and bioconstructions in the form of Ostrea preserved to this date. Secondly, we emphasize the choice of different rock types following a certain pattern or serving to highlight a particular constructive element. In sum, all the natural elements bear highly aesthetic qualities and appear to have been deliberately chosen to highlight specific decorative or symbolic aspects. As a result, we suggest that future research on "megalithic art" should include analogous geological examinations in order to discern the origin and nature of the different elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate macroevolution has been punctuated by fundamental habitat transitions from shallow marine origins to terrestrial, freshwater, and aerial environments. Invasion of the deep sea is a less well-known ecological shift because of low fossilization potential and continual loss of abyssal fossil record by ocean floor subduction. Therefore, there has been a lack of convincing evidence of bottom-living vertebrates from pre-Paleogene deep seas. Here, we describe trace fossils from abyssal plain turbidites of the Tethys Ocean, which, combined with nannofossil dating, indicate that fishes have occupied the deep seafloor since at least the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian). These structures are identical to those produced by modern demersal fishes that feed by either scratching the substrate or expose their prey by water flow generated by suction or jetting. The trace fossils suggest activity of at least three fish species exploiting a productive abyssal invertebrate sediment fauna. These observations are consistent with Early Cretaceous vertebrate transition to the deep sea triggered by the availability of new food sources. Our results anticipate the appearance of deep-seafloor fishes in the fossil record by over 80 My while reassessing the mode of vertebrate colonization of the deep sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portus was the main port of imperial Rome from the 2nd century AD to the 5th century AD, with an inner, hexagonal port (Trajan basin) and an outer port (Claudius basin) linked by a channel bounded by quays. Six sedimentary facies have been differentiated in the geological analysis of a core extracted in this channel, basically composed of poorly classified bioclastic muds typical of restricted environments, accumulations of Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile, 1813 and a final anthropic fill. The subfossil record of bivalves, foraminifera and ostracods is characteristic of Mediterranean brackish environments (lagoons, estuaries, deltas) with significant environmental stress, due to changes in the physical-chemical parameters and probably the periodic dredging of this seaway during a period of about 300 years. The presence of "Neptune balls" points to the development of probable stormy periods that deposit these unique structures in the internal areas of this historic port. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian traces occurring in Pleistocene aeolianite and beach deposits are rare and relatively poorly known, despite being good paleoenvironmental indicators. Passeriform and raptorial birds are especially rare in the track fossil record. Exceptional tracksites were found in the Malhão formation, a Pleistocene coastal aeolianite unit from the SW mainland Portugal, with subunits in the interval ∼187 to ∼27 ka. Two new forms of avian traces were identified, Corvidichnus odemirensis and Buboichnus vicentinus - attributed to the locomotion of Western jackdaw and the locomotion and predation/feeding behaviour of a large Eagle-owl. The last trace fossil may correspond to the first evidence of a raptorial bird-prey interaction found in action in the fossil record. Typical shorebird tracks and trackways attributed to gulls (Laridae) and curlews, and others tentatively compared with Rallidae, such as Eurasian coot, are also discussed within the aeolianite ichnoassemblages. The tracks here described are the first avian ichnotaxa from the Pleistocene of Europe. • Two new bird tracksites are described from the Middle-to-Late Pleistocene coastal aeolianites of SW Portugal. • Corvidichnus and Buboichnus vicentinus igenn. nov. record behaviors of western jackdaw and a large eagle-owl. • Passeriform and raptorial birds are especially rare in the track fossil record. • A trace fossil of raptorial bird-prey interaction is described for the first time. • These tracks are the first avian ichnotaxa from the Pleistocene of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Clavate borings found in the tympanic bulla of a Miocene cetacean from El Camp de Tarragona Basin constitute the first evidence of the ichnogenus Gastrochaenolites in bones of an autochthonous cetacean carcass. Previous records of similar trace fossils on marine bones were described from transported or reworked remains. Based on their morphology and ichnotaxonomy, the borings are assigned to the activity of pholadid bivalves, which would have colonized the skeletal carcass on the sea floor after removal of covering soft tissues. Sedimentological and paleontological data indicate a low-energy depositional setting with low sedimentation rate, which would have provided the temporal window for bivalve colonization. This new finding contributes to widen our knowledge of bioerosion in marine vertebrate skeletons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a study related to the effect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) on the balance and gait of ambulatory patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). As per the study, 27 PwMS were analyzed and divided in two groups including 12 undergoes THR and 15 with physiotherapy. The study highlights several outcome measures including Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA).The study concludes that THR have positive effect on PwMS.

Abstract: A new finding of a marine mammal is documented from the middle Miocene of El Camp basin in Tarragona (NE Spain). The incomplete and disarticulated bone remains belong to the skeleton of a juvenile cetacean. These remains appear deposited above a transgression surface and included within a glauconitic calcisiltite layer. This unit constitutes the beginning of a shallowing-upwards sequence and was deposited under low-energy conditions and low sedimentation rates in a middle-outer platform setting. This context was responsible for the long exposure of the remains and, consequently, an extension of the biostratinomic stage. These conditions favored the natural decomposition and disarticulation of the carcass, allowing the action of different types of scavenging organisms. The interpretation of the paleoenvironmental setting is based in the combination of different datasets: taphonomic data of the bone remains, paleoecologic and taphonomic information provided by the fauna associated to the bones, and ichnologic and sedimentologic interpretation of the sediments where the fossils are included. Combination of such different proxies enables a very good characterization of the paleoenvironmental context of the studied fossils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The low Lower Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de Córdoba contain one of the best successions in Europe, which consists of well exposed mixed facies with abundant fossil assemblages showing long stratigraphical ranges throughout the Pedroche Formation. These assemblages include diverse Ovetian archaeocyaths, trilobites, small shelly fossils, calcimicrobes, trace fossils and stromatolites. Trace fossils are still poorly known, and thus they are the main objective of this work. Ichnological data are obtained from the Arroyo de Pedroche 1, Arroyo de Pedroche 2 and Puente de Hierro sections. Trace fossils include the ichnogenera Bergaueria, aff. Bilinichnus, Cochlichnus, aff. Cosmorhaphe?, Cylindrichnus, Dactyloidites, Dimorphichnus, Diplichnites, Monocraterion, Palaeophycus, aff. Phycodes, Planolites, Psammichnites, Rusophycus, Skolithos, Torrowangea and Treptichnus, as well as faecal pellets, meniscate trace fossils and others. They are abundant in shales and sandstones, and indicate important changes in the benthic conditions with respect to the underlying Torreárboles Formation. Changes in fossil assemblages within Member I of the Pedroche Formation indicate palaeoecological disruptions, which led to the disappearance of numerous archaeocyath species and the decrease of stromatolite biodiversity. This was followed by dominance of trilobite and brachiopod assemblages, accompanied by trace fossils of the Psammichnites ichnosp. A ichnoassociation. This biotic turnover (Pedroche event) occurred at the lower part of the archaeocyath Zone III, within the Bigotina bivallata biozone. The diagnoses of the ichnospecies Cochlichnus anguineus and Dactyloidites cabanasi are emended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The low Lower Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de Córdoba, which consist of well exposed mixed facies and abundant fossil assemblages showing long stratigraphic ranges throughout the Pedroche Formation, represent one of the best successions of this age in Europe. The fossil assemblages include diverse Ovetian archaeocyaths, trilobites, small shelly fossils, calcimicrobia, trace fossils and stromatolites. Trilobites are still poorly known, and thus they are the main objective of this work. The trilobites studied originate from three sections. At the Arroyo de Pedroche 1 section, cf. Bigotinella and Bigotina bivallata are replaced towards the top by Lemdadella linaresae, Lemdadella perejoni sp. nov. and, finally, by Eoredlichia cf. ovetensis. At the Arroyo de Pedroche 2 section, Lemdadella linaresae is replaced by Lemdadella perejoni sp. nov. and Eoredlichia cf. ovetensis, while at the Puente de Hierro section Lemdadella linaresae, L. aff. linaresae and Serrania verae occur together. These new biostratigraphic data confirm that the Pedroche Formation, originally defined as a repetitive sequence of four members, contains only two members. The new trilobite discoveries permit the first tentative correlation between the Ovetian of southern Spain and Lower Cambrian strata from the High Atlas (Morocco), Siberia, Antarctica and Carteret (France). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]