The first Mexican record of peccary footprints (Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae) from the late Cenozoic of Puebla: ichnotaxonomy and palaeobiological considerations

A set of artiodactyl footprints preserved in the Pie de Vaca Formation from the Plio-Pleistocene of south-central Puebla in central Mexico is formally described. The sample consists of five footprints that represent a trackway produced by one individual. A comparative study and a taxonomic assessment were performed in order to identify the track-maker. The ichnites are characterized by having a rounded shape, length of about 5 cm, two hoof imprints that are longer than wide, and tips of the hooves directed forwards. Their size and morphology are comparable to those produced by extant peccaries. The spatial distribution of the footprints has been related to an individual in fast walking or even in a slow trot. Ichnotaxonomically, the record represents a new ichnospecies formally referred as to Tayassuichnum felixarangutii. A member of Platygonus, the most common peccary for the late Cenozoic of North America is proposed as the potential track-maker. The record contributes to the (indirect) presence of peccaries in central Mexico during the late Cenozoic, representing the first documented ichnites referable to that group of artiodactyls in the Mexican territory and the second mention in the North American subcontinent. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:41D44DD9-49F0-475D-B210-84DE5E9CBFAA