Sponsors sought to finance analysis of Ice Age megafauna fossils

After the announcement of the discovery of more than 750 megafauna fossils from the Ice Age in a cave in the Huasteca of Potosí – published last Friday in The Day–, research is now focused on deciphering the mechanism that concentrated so many giant animals in one place.

Biologist Luis Espinasa, leader of the project developed over three years with the authorization of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), detailed in an interview three hypotheses that explain the formation of this prehistoric cemetery, baptized “Crypt of the Megafauna”, and called on sponsors to finance the pending scientific analyses, which include the extraction of ancient DNA.

“Of the 750 bones, as it is a family project, we only have five dated,” revealed the researcher who graduated from UNAM and professor at the Marist University of New York, who specified that the carbon 14 technique was used. The results show that the oldest specimen is a saber tooth, 30 thousand years old, and the most recent a bison, 8 thousand years old.

The budget limitation, he stated, hinders the ability to fully understand the site, whose main value, he stated, lies in that wide temporal range of occupation of more than 22 thousand years, key to studying the extinction of megafauna in America.

“The great scientific interest of this cave is that we have a window of 30 thousand years before human presence, which is after the extinction of the megafauna,” explained Espinasa. “At the end of the ice age there were already humans in America. The combination of the environment along with this new species of hunters is one of the things that could have caused the megafauna to become extinct.”

The species found at that site include mammoths and gomphotheres, with 22 specimens; American horses, being the most abundant, with 193 pieces; bison, deer, giant camels, large bears and two iconic creatures: the giant sloth Eremotheriumlarger than an African elephant, and the glyptodont, the size of a Volkswagen sedan.

Megacarnivores have also been found such as pumas, American lions (larger and more robust than the African one), dire and saber-toothed wolves, as well as microfauna such as turtles, rabbits, mice, bats, birds, lizards and frogs.

But how did so many species gather in one place? The first theory, described by Espinasa as “the most boring”, has to do with the natural conformation of the place.

“The cave is at the end of a valley. There is a stream that runs through it in the rainy season and enters it, so one could assume that this was a valley populated by megafauna; when the animals die, the river drags the bones to that place.”

The second hypothesis proposes that the cave functioned as a natural death trap. “As it is funnel-shaped, it becomes more inclined until it falls into a shaft of about 2 meters with vertical walls and ends in a pool of water,” explained the scientist.

“In times of drought, the water attracted the animals to that cavity and as it narrowed and descended, suddenly it was impossible for the large species to go back, so they fell into the pool of water and no longer came out.” The large predators arrived at the same place and suffered the same fate as their prey.

The third possibility involves early humans. “It is feasible that there was a small human population at the end of the ice age,” said Espinasa, although he clarified that no evidence has yet been found.

He suggested that the cave could have been used as a strategic hunting place or as a dumping ground for waste from their camps. “They hunted the large species and then threw the bones into the cave, using it as a garbage dump, so as not to attract predators.”

Self-care

The site, more than 1,320 meters long, contains several permanent bodies of water, such as the one the team named Lago de Luis, about 50 meters long by 10 meters wide. A robotic aquatic drone was used to explore these siphons.

Regarding how the cave is protected from possible looting or natural damage, Espinasa clarified that the exact location of the site has not been made public, in addition to the fact that “the cave takes care of itself.”

He explained that access requires special knowledge in caving and facing a biological danger: histoplasmosis, a lung disease caused by a fungus present in bat guano. “Team participants, despite being experienced, have gotten histoplasmosis and have ended up in the hospital,” said Espinasa, who even reported that his son Jordi was misdiagnosed for this reason in the United States with advanced lung cancer.

Made up of the biologist, his geologist brother, his sister-in-law, his niece and his caving son, the team has generated materials to disseminate the work and attract sponsorship. They published the book Crypt of the megafauna and produced the documentary Crypt of the megafaunawinner of an international award.

Additionally, in collaboration with the Huasteco AC Regional Museum, in Ciudad Valles, they plan to show a selection of fossils to the public. “The bones to be exhibited will depend on the sponsors,” said the researcher.

The next scientific step is to obtain ancient DNA. “We are in the process of trying to create paleogenomics. We want to apply it to the most interesting ones: the bear, the saber-toothed animal, the wolf and the giant sloth.”

The final call is to collaboration. Espinasa and the museum seek the support of companies or individuals to turn this discovery into accessible heritage and a complete scientific project.

Currently, arrangements are being made with the INAH so that the Institute of Geology of the UNAM, to whose collection these fossils will be destined for study, allows some of the most striking ones to be left for exhibition in that Potosí museum.

“Our dream is for the public to participate in this biological-cultural treasure. And that can only be achieved with support for the museum and researchers. That is why we have contacted the news, because we want to share the vision of these wonderful things with a primary school child, the peasant of the Sierra Huasteca or international tourists,” concluded the biologist, who provided his email for those who wish to contribute to this project: [email protected]