A new prairie dog, Cynomys churcherii, from the Late Pleistocene of southern Alberta

Abstract

Excavation of fossil burrows in the Hand Hills, about 30 km northeast of Drumheller, Alberta, has produced over 3000 skeletal remains, including major portions of nine associated skeletons of a species of prairie dog (Cynomys) dating from 22 000 to 33 000 BP. All lower third molars possess the stylid feature characteristic of white-tailed prairie dogs (subgenus Leucocrossuromys). Similarly, the conformation of the zygomatic arch is peculiar to whitetails. Morphometric analyses based on 10 characters from 9 skulls and 6 characters from 22 mandibles show that the fossil population is significantly different from extant C. ludovicianus, C. leucurus, and C. gunnisoni. Skull length, a good measure of overall size, is significantly greater in the fossil population than in any Recent Cynomys species. The fossil localities are not montane sites typical of extant whitetail populations, and the fossil mammal community differs little from the modern assemblage expected in an aspen groveland in Alberta. The morphological distinctiveness of the fossils, plus the uncharacteristic (for whitetails) habitat association, suggest the erection of a new taxon, Cynomys churcherii n.sp.