Behavior of Bones: Using Signs of Injury and Illness to Understanding the Lives of Extinct Mammals
Meaghan Wetherell, Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness, CWU and Adjunct Lecturer, (Ph.D., 2016, University of Oregon) Paleontology, paleopedology, CWU Department of Geology
Fossils are any sign of ancient life (bones, tracks, burrows, and even feces can become fossils), and while an animal’s behavior might not become a fossil, evidence of that behavior can. Forensic science used today can help interpret how animals interacted 30 million years ago - in a sense, like CSI: Oligocene. This presentation will discuss how evidence of illness and injury can be used to piece together a picture of herd structure, lifespan, and defense mechanisms for a group of extinct mammals called oreodonts. In particular, we will cover the abundance of bite marks, infections, bone bruises, and fractures found on the cheekbones of one genus of oreodont, and how such injuries could relate to herd behavior.
Dr. Wetherell graduated with a Ph.D. in paleontology from University of Oregon in summer of 2016, and is currently using her data analysis skills with people rather than fossils as Associate Director of Research for the Institutional Effectiveness Department here at CWU. Paleontologically her current research interests include the convergent evolution of trunks across mammalian families, geographic convergence in sympatric artiodactyls, and spatial modelling of Pleistocene extinctions.
12 фев 2017
