Dietary Reconstruction of Pliocene–Pleistocene Mammoths and Elephants (Proboscidea) from Northern Greece Based on Dental Mesowear Analysis

Dental wear analyses of extinct animals offer key insights into their dietary preferences and in turn contribute substantially to palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, leading to more accurate interpretations about past ecosystems. This study employs dental mesowear analysis on Pliocene and Pleistocene elephants and mammoths from several localities in Northern Greece (Ptolemais Basin, Mygdonia Basin, Drama Basin, and the Neapolis-Grevena Basin), aiming to classify them into three main dietary categories (browsers, mixed-feeders, grazers) and investigate potential niche partitioning. The method relies on documenting the wear pattern of molar surfaces through angle measurements on the enamel ridges, which reflect the average annual diet of the examined taxon and in turn the annual ecological conditions of the studied area. Prior to the palaeodietary study and in order to ensure the taxonomic attribution of the examined specimens, a taxonomic review was conducted which confirmed the presence of the mammoths <i>Mammuthus rumanus</i>, <i>Mammuthus meridionalis</i> (southern mammoth), and <i>Mammuthus trogontherii</i> (steppe mammoth), and the European straight-tusked elephant <i>Palaeoloxodon antiquus</i>. Dental mesowear results indicate a grazing diet for <i>M.</i> (cf.) <i>rumanus</i>, a mainly browsing diet for <i>M. meridionalis</i> but mixed-feeding to grazing for the subspecies <i>Mammuthus meridionalis vestinus</i>, a grazing one for <i>M. trogontherii</i>, and a wide diet spectrum for <i>P. antiquus</i>, including browsing, mixed-feeding and grazing, depending on the locality. This study expands our knowledge on the palaeoecology of Greek proboscideans and further highlights the importance of mesowear analysis on proboscidean teeth for palaeodietary and palaeoenviromental inferences.