Dwarf mammoth footprints from the Pleistocene of Gonnesa (Southwestern Sardinia, Italy)

Tetrapod footprints have been reported in different types of environments, and are a suitable tool for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Previously, mammal footprints were reported in the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of Sardinia (Italy), and were assigned to different endemic ruminants (Cervidae and Bovidae). In this work, we report the first occurrence of proboscidean footprints in the Italian fossil record. The ichnofossils are assigned to Proboscipeda panfamilia McNeil, Hills, Tolman & Kooyman, 2007. The studied footprints are preserved in highly consolidated aeolian deposits from the Pleistocene of Funtana Morimenta (Gonnesa, southwestern Sardinia, Italy). The recovered ichnofossils are represented by isolated manus-pes couples preserved as hyporeliefs and/or epireliefs. Furthermore, other footprints were observed in situ. The footprints’ shape and size indicate that the track-maker is likely to be the Sardinian dwarf mammoth Mammuthus lamarmorai (Major, 1883). The Sardinian record may represent a unique example of dwarf mammoth footprints in the western Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore, a synthetic summary of the knowledge of the proboscidean ichnofossil record is also provided.