Fossil News! First Pliocene Land Vertebrate Fossils from Cuba

I’m thrilled to announce the publication of our latest research paper, "First Record of Terrestrial Vertebrates from a Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene Deposit in Cuba," which uncovers the first documented Pliocene land vertebrate fossils in Cuba’s history to date. Found at the El Abra outcrop in Matanzas, these fossils offer a rare glimpse into the prehistoric fauna of the Greater Antilles, hinting at unique evolutionary patterns and diversity, plus providing new insight into the biodiversity and biogeographic history of the Caribbean region.

While we recognize that possible land vertebrate fossils of older age may exist in the caves of Pinar del Río, these remain untested and are generally assumed to be Pleistocene, and even later in the Pleistocene, in age. As such, our findings from El Abra represent the earliest confirmed fossils within the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene range, adding a new dimension to our understanding of Caribbean vertebrate evolution.

One particularly exciting aspect of this discovery includes previously undocumented remains of capromyine rodents (so called hutias or jutias), showcasing unique dental characteristics that hint at possible connections with species in Hispaniola. This find challenges and enriches our understanding of Caribbean vertebrate dispersal and diversification, underscoring the importance of examining overlooked fossil records or outcrop deposits to piece together new evolutionary histories.

I am immensely grateful to my colleagues and co-authors Yasmani Ceballos, Lazaro Viñola, Logel Lorenzo and Alberto Clark, who collaborated on this project, contributing their expertise and dedication to each step of this investigation. Further thanks are due to the friends and institutions, for logistics, conversations, sharing of ideas, knowledge, and collecting permits. 

For those interested, the paper is available for free for the next 50 days via this special access link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1j-qA_KNqlgOGc.

Take a look and join us in exploring this new chapter of Cuba's fossil record and its broader implications for Caribbean paleontology!

Source: 

Orihuela, J., Viñola-Lopez, L. W., Lorenzo, L., Clark, A., & Ceballos-Izquierdo, Y. (2024). First Record of Terrestrial Vertebrates from a Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene deposit in Cuba. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 105200.