@article{1f0cb66754d940b0a29e3fe25d62d438,
title = "Footprints preserve terminal Pleistocene hunt? Human-sloth interactions in North America",
abstract = "Predator-prey interactions revealed by vertebrate trace fossils are extremely rare. We present footprint evidence from White Sands National Monument in New Mexico for the association of sloth and human trackways. Geologically, the sloth and human trackways were made contemporaneously, and the sloth trackways show evidence of evasion and defensive behavior when associated with human tracks. Behavioral inferences from these trackways indicate prey selection and suggest that humans were harassing, stalking, and/or hunting the now-extinct giant ground sloth in the terminal Pleistocene.",
author = "David Bustos and Jackson Jakeway and Urban, {Tommy M.} and Holliday, {Vance T.} and Brendan Fenerty and Raichlen, {David A.} and Marcin Budka and Reynolds, {Sally C.} and Allen, {Bruce D.} and Love, {David W.} and Santucci, {Vincent L.} and Daniel Odess and Patrick Willey and McDonald, {H. Gregory} and Bennett, {Matthew R.}",
note = "Funding Information: M.R.B. acknowledges Natural Environment Research Council grants (NE/H004246/ 1 and NE/M021459/1). V.T.H. acknowledges the Argonaut Archaeological Research Fund (University of Arizona Foundation). Views and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect policies of the NPS. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement. Author contributions: M.R.B., D.B., J.J., and T.M.U. led the fieldwork. D.B., V.T.H., B.F., B.D.A., D.W.L., and D.O. contributed insight into archeological context of the discoveries. M.R.B. and D.B. completed most of the analyses presented in the paper. D.A.R. and M.B. conceived and conducted the tortuosity analysis. H.G.M. provided insight into extinct sloth behavior, and S.C.R. provided insights into human hunting practice. P.W. and V.L.S. provided knowledge of vertebrate ichnology. All authors contributed to writing and critique of the paper. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors. 3D models of selected tracks are available on MorphoSource (morphosource.org). Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2018 The Author.",
year = "2018",
month = apr,
day = "25",
doi = "10.1126/sciadv.aar7621",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "4",
journal = "Science advances",
issn = "2375-2548",
publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",
number = "4",
}