Biometric Analysis of Giant and Large Murid Remains From Matja Kuru 2, Timor-Leste

Published research on Matja Kuru 2 (MK2) demonstrates its significance for understanding human lifestyle during the terminal Pleistocene and Holocene. Murids represent the most commonly identified taxa in the site, with specimens preliminarily classified as small, large and giant based on size comparisons. However, the identification of the large and giant murid species present in the deposit remains elusive, as the correlation between dental material and postcranial elements is unclear. While there is evidence of human predation of large and giant murids, the absence of distinctive macroscopic traits to identify species based on postcranial impedes assessment of whether some niches were specifically targeted. Here we present the biometric analysis of a subsample of the large and giant murids from MK2. The comparison of our linear measurements with those from postcranial elements assigned to large and giant murid species in the same region allows us to suggest that the different specimens would have exploited diversified niches, providing complementary data to interpret human-animal interactions during the Pleistocene and Holocene in MK2.