An aggregation of juvenile Youngina from the Beaufort Group, Karoo Basin, South Africa
Date
1995
Authors
Smith, Roger M. H.
Susan, E. Evans
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research
Abstract
An assemblage of five fully-articulated juvenile skeletons of Youngina has been recovered
from the Late Permian strata of the south-western Karoo Basin. These 12-cm-long skeletons are
not only the first articulated juveniles of this taxon, but also the oldest yet found in the Karoo Basin.
They are preserved in overbank mudrocks of the Hoedemaker Member (Beaufort Group, Adelaide
Subgroup) on the farm Leeukloof 43 in the Beaufort West district. Although they are estimated
to be some three million years older than previously described Youngina, these specimens show
no significant skeletal differences. The high degree of articulation and the spatial arrangement of
these skeletons in a dish-shaped hollow is compelling evidence for them having huddled together
within an underground burrow. Taphonomic analysis of associated fossils indicates that this was
probably a mechanism to reduce water loss during drought on the ancient Karoo floodplains .
Description
Main article
Keywords
Youngina, juvenile aggregation.
Citation
None