Diversity of Pleistocene megamammals from southern Amazon, Mato Grosso state, Brazil

The Amazon region is a key area to understand the South America history, displaying a significant importance in the study of Pleistocene mammal fossils. Here, we present the taxonomic account of the first megafaunal records of the Quaternary deposits from bed and alluvial terraces from the Teles Pires River and its tributaries, in northern Mato Grosso state, southern Brazilian Amazon. Teeth, partial dentaries and postcranial fossil specimens have been described and identified as immature to senile individuals of Notiomastodon platensis, cf. Eremotherium and Toxodon platensis. These species were well-dispersed along the Pleistocene in South America, including the Amazon region. This paper brings up the paleontological potential of the upper Teles Pires basin, midwest Brazil, for South American Pleistocene megafauna. Further studies are necessary in order to obtain more information regarding the location and genesis of the fossiliferous assemblages, and the paleoecological and taphonomic aspects of the megamammal paleocommunities in the southern Amazon.