Pleistocene ducks of the Old Crow Basin, Yukon Territory, Canada
Thirteen species of ducks, ranging in age from ?latest Illinoian to Holocene, have been identified from the Old Crow Basin. The most common species in the collection is the Oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis), followed by the White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca). The genus Anas (six species) is well repre...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
1991
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e91-140 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e91-140 |
| Summary: | Thirteen species of ducks, ranging in age from ?latest Illinoian to Holocene, have been identified from the Old Crow Basin. The most common species in the collection is the Oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis), followed by the White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca). The genus Anas (six species) is well represented. The Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) and the Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra) also occupied the area in the past. This shows that good habitat for ducks has existed in the area at times since the ?Illinoian and supports environmental reconstructions for the area suggesting that ?Sangamon conditions were as warm as, or warmer than, today, with ponds and streams and pockets of boreal forest. There is also evidence for inland migration of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima). |
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