DOI: 10.15468/jh7kyq
title: New insights on feeding habits of Kolpochoerus van Hoepen & van Hoepen, 1932 from the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia) using dental microwear texture analysis

description: This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Louail, Margot, Souron, Antoine, Merceron, Gildas, Boisserie, Jean-Renaud (2025): New insights on feeding habits of Kolpochoerus van Hoepen & van Hoepen, 1932 from the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia) using dental microwear texture analysis. Comptes Rendus Palevol 24 (7): 89-122, DOI: 10.5852/cr-palevol2025v24a7, URL: https://doi.org/10.5852/cr-palevol2025v24a7New insights on feeding habits of Kolpochoerus van Hoepen & van Hoepen, 1932 from the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia) using dental microwear texture analysisMargot LOUAILLaboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), CNRS-INEE, Université de Poitiers, TSA 51106, 6 rue Michel Brunet, F-86073 Poitiers Cedex 9 (France)margot.louail@univ-poitiers.fr (corresponding author)Antoine SOURONDe la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Bâtiment B2, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, CS 50023, F-33600 Pessac (France)antoine.souron@u-bordeaux.frGildas MERCERONLaboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), CNRS-INEE, Université de Poitiers, TSA 51106, 6 rue Michel Brunet, F-86073 Poitiers Cedex 9 (France)gildas.merceron@univ-poitiers.frJean-Renaud BOISSERIEFrench Center for Ethiopian Studies, CNRS, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Addis Ababa, PO BOX 5554 (Ethiopia) and Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), CNRS-INEE, Université de Poitiers, TSA 51106, 6 rue Michel Brunet, F-86073 POITIERS Cedex 9 (France)jean.renaud.boisserie@univ-poitiers.frSubmitted on 30 April 2024 | Accepted on 6 May 2024 | Published on 19 March 2025urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: EF9974EE-8DC4-4D3B-BDE7-0B74DD7ABDC8Louail M.,Souron A.,Merceron G.& Boisserie J.-R.2025.— New insights on feeding habits of Kolpochoerus van Hoepen & van Hoepen, 1932 from the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia) using dental microwear texture analysis, in Boisserie J.-R., Mounier A., Redae B. E. & Schuster M. (eds), Glimpses of a Plio-Pleistocene African ecosystem: the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Comptes Rendus Palevol 24 (7): 89-122. https://doi.org/ 10.5852/cr-palevol 2025v24a7ABSTRACTDuring the Neogene and the Quaternary, African suids show dental morphological changes considered to reflect adaptations to increasing specialization on graminivorous diets, notably in the genus Kolpochoerus van Hoepen & van Hoepen, 1932. They tend to exhibit elongated third molars and some degree of hypsodonty, suggesting increasing consumption of abrasive grasses. However, the most significant morphological changes are observed more than 1 million years after the increased consumption of C 4 plants, such as graminoids. To date, only a few studies have applied dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) to specimens of Kolpochoerus, which provides information on the mechanical properties of the diet, and therefore bring fundamental insights on the mechanical stresses exerted on dental morphologies. In addition, none has yet focused on specimens from the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia), which is the most complete Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene record in eastern Africa. To better interpret the dental microwear textures (DMT) of Kolpochoerus, we built a modern referential using four genera of extant suids with contrasting diets: the herbivores Phacochoerus F.Cuvier, 1826 and Hylochoerus Thomas, 1904, and the omnivores Potamochoerus Gray, 1854 and Sus Linnaeus, 1758. Our results show that their DMT reflect their different feeding habits. In light of these results, we then studied the DMT of 68 Kolpochoerus specimens from the Shungura Formation and dating from about 2.8 Ma to 1.0 Ma. Their DMT differ from extant suids, but some similarities with Phacochoerus are observed. In line with previous studies, we propose that their DMT reflect a high consumption of herbaceous plants (graminoids and non-graminoids), with preferences for young, low-abrasive grasses. Yet, while a high intake of such grasses is consistent with both the shift toward increased C 4 feeding and morphological changes, more studies are needed to further understand the temporal offset between the two.