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Paleoanthropological and geological field research at Galili, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia was reinitiated in 2016. The site has been established as encompassing sediments ranging between 2.5-4.5± Ma and includes early Australopithecus and perhaps Ardipithecus . While preliminary paleoenvironmental analyses have suggested open woodland to bushland-wood - land and shrubland, we present here additional evidence of the diet and functional anatomy of the Early Pliocene bovids from Galili. Fossil bovids have been recognized as a crucial tool in understanding ancient environments and serve as an important ecological indicator. Establishing the habitats of Galili is important for both understanding the environment in which the fauna, including hominins, resided and providing comparison to other contemporaneous sites. Taxonomic identification and metric analyses were performed on bovid teeth (n=93) from the 3.9-4.4 Ma Shabeley Laag and Dhidinley members to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. The sample was dominated by Reduncini, a riparian-associated tribe, and Tragelaphini, a browsing-associated tribe. Hypsodonty index was calculated for each tribe and results suggest the most abundant bovid taxa trend towards the brachydont category. Only three tribes: Alcelaphini, Antilopini, and Hippotragini fell within the mesodont category, and no tribes had hypso - dont indices. Mesowear analysis of the sample indicated high occlusal relief and rounded cusp shapes were most common. Taken together, our results indicate a trend in bovid diet towards mixed feeding and browsing at Galili. We thank Prof. H Seidler and his team for allowing access to the fossils they collected. 

Paleoanthropological and geological field research at Galili, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia was reinitiated in 2016. The site has been established as encompassing sediments ranging between 2.5-4.5± Ma and includes early Australopithecus and perhaps Ardipithecus. While preliminary paleoenvironmental analyses have suggested open woodland to bushland-woodland and shrubland, we present here additional evidence of the diet and functional anatomy of the Early Pliocene bovids from Galili. Fossil bovids have been recognized as a crucial tool in understanding ancient environments and serve as an important ecological indicator. Establishing the habitats of Galili is important for both understanding the environment in which the fauna, including hominins, resided and providing comparison to other contemporaneous sites. Taxonomic identification and metric analyses were performed on bovid teeth (n=93) from the 3.9-4.4 Ma Shabeley Laag and Dhidinley members to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. The sample was dominated by Reduncini, a riparian-associated tribe, and Tragelaphini, a browsing-associated tribe. Hypsodonty index was calculated for each tribe and results suggest the most abundant bovid taxa trend towards the brachydont category. Only three tribes: Alcelaphini, Antilopini, and Hippotragini fell within the mesodont category, and no tribes had hypsodont indices. Mesowear analysis of the sample indicated high occlusal relief and rounded cusp shapes were most common. Taken together, our results indicate a trend in bovid diet towards mixed feeding and browsing at Galili. 

Paleoanthropological and geological field research at Galili, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia was reinitiated in 2016. The site has been established as encompassing sediments ranging between 2.5-4.5± Ma and includes early Australopithecus and perhaps Ardipithecus. While preliminary paleoenvironmental analyses have suggested open woodland to bushland-woodland and shrubland, we present here additional evidence of the diet and functional anatomy of the Early Pliocene bovids from Galili. Fossil bovids have been recognized as a crucial tool in understanding ancient environments and serve as an important ecological indicator. Establishing the habitats of Galili is important for both understanding the environment in which the fauna, including hominins, resided and providing comparison to other contemporaneous sites. Taxonomic identification and metric analyses were performed on bovid teeth (n=93) from the 3.9-4.4 Ma Shabeley Laag and Dhidinley members to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. The sample was dominated by Reduncini, a riparian-associated tribe, and Tragelaphini, a browsing-associated tribe. Hypsodonty index was calculated for each tribe and results suggest the most abundant bovid taxa trend towards the brachydont category. Only three tribes: Alcelaphini, Antilopini, and Hippotragini fell within the mesodont category, and no tribes had hypsodont indices. Mesowear analysis of the sample indicated high occlusal relief and rounded cusp shapes were most common. Taken together, our results indicate a trend in bovid diet towards mixed feeding and browsing at Galili. 

The paleoanthropological research potential of the sediments surrounding Mt. Galili in the Afar State of Ethiopia was first established by Y. Haile-Selassie in the late 1990s. Subsequently, a team led by H. Seidler conducted a series of field campaigns through 2010. Together, these projects discovered a number of valuable fossils, including hominins, that verified the importance of the area and provided a biochronological and geochronological framework for the sediments that span the ca. 2.5 Ma to >4.5 Ma period. Field research of the Mt. Galili Formation was reinitiated by our team in 2016. We conducted a short 13-day field survey of the area with the goals of collecting additional paleontological, geological, and archeological materials to better understand the biotic context during this period and provide additional age constraints on the deposits. Much of the survey focused on sediments on the middle Pliocene-aged Shabeley Laag Member with short surveys of the older Dhidinley and Lasdanan Mbrs. Altogether, a diverse array of terrestrial non-hominin (especially monkeys, suids, proboscideans, and bovids) and hominin fauna were collected. As noted by previous workers, the sediments are dominated by fluvial and lacustrine deposits with numerous intercalated air-fall tuffs and intrusive basalts. A number of geological specimens were collected and exported and await radiometric dating and tephrostratigraphic correlation analysis. Here, we will present preliminary results from the 2016 field survey. Support for the project was from NSF BCS-1519059 (SWS) and from the University of Arizona (JQ). 

The paleoanthropological research potential of the sediments surrounding Mt. Galili in the Afar State of Ethiopia was first established by Y. Haile-Selassie in the late 1990s. Subsequently, a team led by H. Seidler conducted a series of field campaigns through 2010. Together, these projects discovered a number of valuable fossils, including hominins, that verified the importance of the area and provided a biochronological and geochronological framework for the sediments that span the ca. 2.5 Ma to >4.5 Ma period. Field research of the Mt. Galili Formation was reinitiated by our team in 2016. We conducted a short 13-day field survey of the area with the goals of collecting additional paleontological, geological, and archeological materials to better understand the biotic context during this period and provide additional age constraints on the deposits. Much of the survey focused on sediments on the middle Pliocene-aged Shabeley Laag Member with short surveys of the older Dhidinley and Lasdanan Mbrs. Altogether, a diverse array of terrestrial non-hominin (especially monkeys, suids, proboscideans, and bovids) and hominin fauna were collected. As noted by previous workers, the sediments are dominated by fluvial and lacustrine deposits with numerous intercalated air-fall tuffs and intrusive basalts. A number of geological specimens were collected and exported and await radiometric dating and tephrostratigraphic correlation analysis. Here, we will present preliminary results from the 2016 field survey.