Paleoecology of the Akk a ș da g ˘ i hipparion s (Mammalia, Equidae), late Miocene of Turke y

Akka ș dag ˘ i is an abundant and diverse Turolian mammalian locality from Central Anatolia. Our paper reports the findings of our investigation of the paleoenvironment using an ecomorphological approach on the metapodials of hipparionine horses from Akka ș dag ˘ i. First, a detailed description of the underlying theoretical model is given, and a habitat score is described. Then the model developed here and initially applied to the Bovidae is applied t o Akka ș dag ˘ i and other hipparion localities of Turolian and Vallesian age. Our results confirm the presence of four species of hipparionines in Akka ș dag ˘ i. The morphology of the metapodials suggests habitat diversity towards the open end of the spectrum. Forested conditions are ruled out.