Late Wisconsinan helmeted muskoxen (Bootherium bombifrons) from southwestern Alberta, Canada

Abstract

The first known occurrence of helmeted muskox in the Late Wisconsinan (ca. 16 000–11 000 radiocarbon years BP) of Alberta is recorded and described. 14C dating places the specimen at 10 980 ± 80 radiocarbon years BP (uncorrected). The distribution of the species is mapped, the widespread distribution implying that these animals probably occupied diverse habitats. Evidence from Wally’s Beach, including associated fauna and floral remains and eolian deposits, indicates a dry windswept steppe–grassland with intermittent patches of low woody shrubs.