A new Middle Pleistocene fauna from the Busidima-Telalak region of the Afar, Ethiopia

We report on a diverse fauna from the Busidima-Telalak region of the Afar i n Ethiopia. The fossiliferous sediments are characterized by riverbank depo sits. During our first field season thirty-one mammalian species were encou ntered. Fossils are nicely preserved and abundant. Bovids, carnivores, monk eys, and large rodents are the most common taxa. The fauna points to a Midd le Pleistocene age (0.2 to 0.8 Ma). Our preliminary palaeoenvironmental rec onstruction indicates that our fossil assemblage is derived from a rather w et and closed environment. This condition is unique as sites of this time p eriod were reported to be more open and dry. (C) 2000 Academie des sciences / Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.