AUTHOR=Zhang Zhengwei , Li Fan , Marshall Fiona 

TITLE=Comparative osteomorphological criteria for differentiating mandibular teeth and post-cranial skeletons of takins (Budorcas taxicolor) from Bovini species on Tibetan Plateau

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.956858

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2022.956858

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=Hunting and herding of large bovids was important for human survival at high altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau. However, little is known about past human relations with iconic plateau animals, such as takin (Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson, 1850) or yak (Bos grunniens Linnaeus, 1766). Takin were widely hunted historically for subsistence and for social reasons but understanding of ancient relationships has been impeded by the difficulty of distinguishing takin from other large wild or domestic bovids, e.g. gaur (Bos gaurus), yak, cattle (Bos taurus), water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Through the comparative and systematic study of modern specimens, comprising 80 mandibles and 53-78 skeletons curated across five institutions in China and the United States, this research proposes a new set of osteomorphological criteria for differentiating large bovids from the Tibetan Plateau and tests previously published criteria. The results show that takin can be easily differentiated from yak, cattle, gaur, and water buffalo using readily identifiable shape differences, non-metric characteristics and specific landmarks of mandibular teeth and post-cranial elements. Criteria with especially high reliability scores include mandibular teeth and fourteen postcranial elements: scapula, humerus, femur, tibia, fibula, metapodials, lunate, scaphoid, magnum, unciform, and astragalus. Providing a reproducible field method for distinguishing takin from other large bovids in this region, the osteomorphological criteria established in this study will further archaeological investigations of Holocene hunting on the Tibetan Plateau, as well as early usage of domesticated yak and cattle. These criteria can also be used in conservation, to aid field identification of illegally hunted takin.