Late Pleistocene herpetofauna from two high-elevation caves in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado

Authors

Jim I. Mead, Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD, Box 692, 1800 Hwy. 18 ByPass, Hot Springs, SD 57747; Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85745Follow
Steven D. Emslie, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina, 601 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403Follow
David J. Meltzer, Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275Follow

Abstract

Cement Creek and Haystack caves in Colorado have produced a diverse record of high-elevation late Quaternary mammals. Intermixed with the abundant mammalian remains were rare occurrences of amphibian and reptile fossils reported here. Cement Creek Cave (2860 m elevation) contained the fossils of only a few anurans and a limited number of snakes, whereas Haystack Cave, at a substantially lower elevation (2450 m), contained the fossils of a salamander, a larger number of snakes, and an extensive number of lizard remains, yet no anurans. The 2 faunas are overall distinct in composition, and, although not diverse or abundant in terms of species or number of faunal remains, they provide a rare and exceptional record of a late Pleistocene high-elevation herpetofauna from the Intermountain West.


Las cuevas Cement Creek y Haystack en Colorado han producido un diverso registro de mamíferos de gran altitud del Cuaternario tardío. Entre los abundantes restos de mamíferos, se registraron raros casos de anfibios y reptiles, los cuales reportamos a continuación. En la cueva Cement Creek (2860 m de elevación) se encontraron solo unos pocos anuros y un número limitado de serpientes. Mientras que, en la cueva Haystack, a una elevación sustancialmente más baja (2450 m de elevación), se encontraron una salamandra, una mayor cantidad de serpientes y una gran cantidad de restos de lagartos, pero no anuros. Las dos faunas son distintas en su composición en general y, aunque no son diversas ni abundantes en términos de especies o número de restos de fauna, proporcionan un registro único y excepcional de una herpetofauna de alta elevación del Pleistoceno tardío del oeste intermontañoso.

Recommended Citation

Mead, Jim I.; Emslie, Steven D.; and Meltzer, David J. (2023) "Late Pleistocene herpetofauna from two high-elevation caves in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 83: No. 3, Article 10.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol83/iss3/10