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Osteohistology and palaeobiology of giraffids from the Mio-Pliocene Langebaanweg (South Africa)

The reconstruction of life history traits, such as growth rate, age at maturity and age at death can be estimated from the histological analysis of long bones. Here, we studied 20 long bones (metapodials, tibia and femora) of Sivatherium hendeyi and Giraffa cf. Giraffa jumae recovered from the Miocene–Pliocene locality of Langebaanweg on the West Coast of South Africa. We analysed the long bone histology and growth marks of juvenile and adult specimens of these taxa. Our results show that

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Chapter 14: Giraffidae

792 specimens attributed to the Giraffidae were recovered by the Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition (EPPE) from the three Pliocene stratigraphic units at Laetoli, with Giraffa stillei the most common taxon in all three levels. Giraffids are notably well represented in the Upper Laetolil Beds, with further evidence gathered by EPPE for the three previously recognized species from this unit. In the Lower Laetolil Beds Giraffa stillei is provisionally identified, as is Sivatherium. A third, large giraffid species may also be

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The extinct, giant giraffid Sivatherium giganteum: skeletal reconstruction and body mass estimation

Sivatherium giganteum is an extinct giraffid from the Plio–Pleistocene boundary of the Himalayan foothills. To date, there has been no rigorous skeletal reconstruction of this unusual mammal. Historical and contemporary accounts anecdotally state that Sivatherium rivalled the African elephant in terms of its body mass, but this statement has never been tested. Here, we present a three-dimensional composite skeletal reconstruction and calculate a representative body mass estimate for this species using a volumetric method. We find that the estimated adult

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