Dr Alberto Valenciano (Iziko Museum of South Africa and University of Cape Town UCT) will offer a public talk suitable for all audiences on the Langebaanweg, ‘E’ Quarry, a late Miocene – early Pliocene fossil site of South Africa, dated on 5.2 million years ago and one of the richest and best-preserved Neogene mammal assemblages in the world, with more than 230 taxa of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates. 

Along the talk, Alberto will explain how amongst such a variety of fossils,  the carnivore mammals in Langebaanweg are quite common and have become a worldwide reference for paleontological studies. Such a site contains a combination of archaic Miocene carnivorans and derived Pliocene ones, including at least 19 species of bears, seals, honey badgers, wolverines, otters, jackals, hyaenids, felids (sabre-tooth cats included), genets and mongooses, being the smaller ones badly known. 

Also, Dr Valenciano shall focus on the generalities on Langebaanweg, including the carnivore fauna, as well as the very new findings on extinct mustelids (otters, badgers and relatives) and canids (jackals).pin

Date: 25 March 2020 18h00

Venue: TH Barry Lecture Theatre, Iziko South African Museum, 25 Queen Victoria St. Cape Town

Cost: free for IZIKO Members on presentation of valid 2020 membership card. Non-members, donation of R30.00