Isotopic palaeoecology of Makapansgat limeworks perissodactyla

Relatively little is known about the ecology of South African Pliocene perissodactyls. Researchers usually assume that these taxa were ecologically similar to their modern counterparts, but this assumption is questionable, and can tell us nothing about the ecology of taxa without modern representatives such as chalicotheres. Here we examine the ecology of Makapansgat's Rhinocerotidae, Equidae and Chalicotheridae using stable carbon isotope analysis of tooth enamel. This allows us to test uniformitarianist assumptions, provides insight into the ecology of these taxa, and allows a glimpse into the ecological underpinnings of hominid evolution in South Africa.