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[dinosaur] Quaternary giant extinct armadillos (Pampatheriidae) with fleas and fungi traces in its osteoderms.



Dear colegues from the Dinosaur mail list

Not about dinos, but still vertebrates

I would like to share with you our paper about some traces of fleas and fungi in osteoderms of giant Quaternary extinct armadillos (Pampatheriidae):

Moura, J.F., Nascimento, C.S.I., Peixoto, B. de C.P. e M., de Barros, G.E.B., Robbi, B., Fernandes, M.A., 2021. Damaged armour: Ichnotaxonomy and paleoparasitology of bioerosion lesions in osteoderms of Quaternary extinct armadillos. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 109, 103255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103255
Relevance: As syn vivo traces, all these are tools to access the health of the animals to which the osteoderm belongs. Further support on ectoparasite and infection studies on living armoured animals would even allow inferences regarding extinct populations and interpretations of ancient ecosystems. 
Accessing their parasites and infections could provide a glimpse into how and why these animals disappeared, as well as the biotic interactions that occurred in these contexts, and the evolution of parasites in Quaternary mammals, deep in time.  


1-s2.0-S0895981121001012-fx1_lrg.jpg


Best wishes

M.Sc. Bernardo Peixoto
- B.Sc. and B.Ed.
- Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Natural Resources (Paleontology).
- Federal University of SÃo Carlos (UFSCar), SÃo Paulo State, Brazil
Curriculum vitae (Lattes system): http://lattes.cnpq.br/0573423793948112
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6257-4243