title: ESR dating of Smilodon populator from Toca de Cima dos Pilão, Piauí, Brazil.
abstract: Smilodon is a genus of big cats that lived from the early to the late Pleistocene in regions extending from North to South America. The fossil records of the "saber-toothed cats" are uneven, with some taxa being quite abundant in certain regions. In Brazil, Smilodon populator is a well-known species whose remains, although scarce in comparison to other large mammals, are found all across the country. In particular, there are multiple records of this species in the region of the Serra da Capivara National Park. This area was home to a rich Pleistocene-Holocene fauna, including many mammals. Here, we report on the Electron Spin Resonance dating of a Smilodon populator tooth found in "Toca de Cima dos Pilão", located in the surroundings of the Serra da Capivara National Park. The equivalent dose found after exponential fitting of dose-response curve was (2.7±0.3)x102Gy. Neutron Activation Analysis was used to determine the concentration of radioisotopes present in the sample and in the sediment to calculate the internal and external dose rates. The result of age found is 93±9ka, which confirmed the presence of this species in Serra da Capivara National Park in the late Pleistocene.
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Sagrado Coração, USC, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, FFCLRP, Departamento de Física, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Sagrado Coração, USC, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mollemberg
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Sagrado Coração, USC, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, IPEN-CNEN, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: G Figueiredo
authors.affiliation: Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM), São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, Brazil.
authors.forename: Niede
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guidon
authors.affiliation: Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM), São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria de
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fátima da Luz
authors.affiliation: Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM), São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, Brazil; UFR des Sciences de la Terre, UMR-CNRS 5125 Paléoenvironnements et Paléobiosphere, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon-1, campus de la Doua, bâtiment Géode, 43, boulevard du 11-Novembre, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guérin
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, FFCLRP, Departamento de Física, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: baffa@usp.br.
authors.forename: Oswaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baffa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D045989:Felidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D049690:History, Ancient; D010161:Paleodontology / Q000379:methods; D055110:Radiometric Dating / Q000379:methods*; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: Dating; Electron Paramagnetic Resonance; Electron Spin Resonance; Machairodontinae; Saber-toothed cat