Mead, Jim, Manganaro, Carol, Repenning, Charles A. and Agenbroad, Larry D. Palaeoecology and Palaeoenvironments of Late Cenozoic Mammals/Early Rancholabrean Mammals From Salamander Cave, Black Hills, South Dakota. 17+ p.

Abstract

Salamander Cave is a small cavern with a natural trap entrance. The Horse Room contains a small fauna produced by the infilling from a now sealed entrance. Uranium-seris analysis of speleothems and horse bone indicate that the Horse Room is recording a local faunal community approximately 252,000 years old. Sixteen taxa are recognized. Extinct taxa include the rodents Mictomys cf. M. meltoni, Microtus paroperarius, & Terricola meadensis along with Canis cf. C. dirus, Equus sp. and Camelops sp. Extra-limital species include Cynomys (Leucocrossuromys) sp. and Lepus cf. L. americanus. The fauna may mark the youngest co-occurrence of the extinct rodent species. The Black Hills offer a desirable location to examine evolutionary changes and speciation following immigration because of their unique 'middle ground' location in North America.