Earliest Evidence of Toxocara sp. in a 1.2-Million-Yr-Old Extinct Hyena (Pachycrocuta brevirostris) Coprolite from Northwest Pakistan. Academic Article

abstract

• The study of fossil parasites can provide insight into the antiquity of host-parasite relationships and the origins and evolution of these paleoparasites. Here, a coprolite (fossilized feces) from the 1.2-million-yr-old paleontological site of Haro River Quarry in northwestern Pakistan was analyzed for paleoparasites. Micromorphological thin sectioning and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) analysis confirms the coprolite belonged to a bone-eating carnivore, likely the extinct giant short-faced hyena (Pachycrocuta brevirostris). Parasitological analysis shows the coprolite to be positive for Toxocara sp. To our knowledge, this is the earliest evidence for Toxocara sp. found.

authors

• Perri, Angela

published proceedings

• J Parasitol

altmetric score

• 1.6

author list (cited authors)

• Perri, A. R., Heinrich, S., Gur-Arieh, S., & Saunders, J. J.

citation count

• 11

complete list of authors

• Perri, Angela R||Heinrich, Susann||Gur-Arieh, Shira||Saunders, Jeffrey J

publication date

• February 2017

publisher

• American Society of Parasitologists  Publisher

published in

• Journal of Parasitology  Journal

keywords

• Animals
• Feces
• Fossils
• Fourier Analysis
• History, Ancient
• Hyaenidae
• Pakistan
• Paleopathology
• Spectrophotometry, Infrared
• Toxocara
• Toxocariasis

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1645/16-71

start page

• 138

end page

• 141

volume

• 103

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/16-71