%0 Journal Article
%A Muhammad Asim
%A Muhammad Akbar Khan
%A Sayyed Ghyour Abbas
%A Muhammad Khalil Nawaz
%A Muhammad Adeeb Babar
%A Qudeer Ahmed
%A Khalid Mahmood
%A Muhammad Akhtar
%T Mesowear analysis and paleodiets of Middle Miocene artiodactyls from Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan
%D 2025
%J Taiwania
%V 70
%N 2
%P 285-292
%U https://taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/abstract/2070
%X Mesowear analysis was performed to infer the paleodiet of the Middle Miocene artiodactyls by scoring the mesowear variables. In this analysis, the maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth (P4-M3 and p4-m3) of six bovid species (Miotragocerus gluten, Tragoportax salmontanus, Helicoportax tragelaphoides, Elachistoceros khuristenensis, Eotragus sp., and Gazella sp.), two giraffid species (Giraffokeryx punjabiensis, Giraffa priscilla), two tragulid species (Dorcatherium majus, D. minus) and two suid species (Listriodon pentapotamiae, Conohyus sindiensis) were included. The results show that the bovids were browse-dominated mixed feeders, the giraffids and the tragulids were preferably browsers, and most of the suids were browse-dominated mixed feeders with preferably grazers. These paleodietary analyses specify a browsing trend with a gradual shift towards mixed feeding during the Middle Miocene. These results also endorse the presence of mosaic habitats range from moist, humid forests more or less closed to grassland during the Middle Miocene of Punjab, Pakistan.
%M doi:10.6165/tai.2025.70.285