Edisto Island Fossil Vertebrates 
23 
area, and alligators would require dense vegetation along stream banks 
or marsh edges for nest building. 
Forest community .—The, forest community includes species that de- 
pend on forest vegetation and food and/or refuge and spend most of 
their time in forested areas. The ground sloth ( Megalonyx ), mastodon 
{Mammut), tapir ( Tapirus ), peccary ( Mylohyus ), and sloth 
(. Eremotherium ) are all considered to be browsers, preferring dense 
vegetation. Felis, Odocoileus, and Sylvilagus also prefer the forest habitat. 
The turtles, Gopherus and Terrapene, might also frequent forested areas. 
Savannah community. — The savannah community is well represented 
in the fossil fauna and mostly consists of grazers, which rely on tall 
grasses and scrubby vegetation or open grasslands. Included are the glyp- 
todont ( Glyptotherium ), ground sloth {Par amyl odon), mammoth 
{Mammuthus), horse {Equus), buffalo {Bison), and llama ( Palaeolama ). 
Terrapene, Geochelone, and Gopherus also occur in savannah type vegeta- 
tion. 
Although most species have been assigned to a particular com- 
munity, many would regularly visit two or more of the described 
habitats. For example, the raccoon ( Procyon ) would be expected to fre- 
quent stream banks and marshes and to den in a wooded area, but an in- 
dividual might also wander through open grasslands. The rabbit 
{ Sylvilagus ), wolf ( Canis ), fox ( Urocyon ), and deer ( Odocoileus ) also com- 
monly move from one habitat to another. 
The probable common ground for all species concerned is the water- 
ing place. Thus, the fauna gives evidence of a stream or marsh environ- 
ment bordered by open savannah and scattered wooded areas. 
The presence of certain species in the fauna indicates particular 
climatic restrictions. The most definite climatic limitation is imposed by 
the presence of Alligator and Geochelone in the fauna. These occur in 
tropical to subtropical climates in which temperatures rarely, if ever, fall 
below freezing and where precipitation is usually plentiful. Thus, at the 
time Alligator and Geochelone lived in the vicinity of Edisto Island the 
climate may have been more equable than the present climate of the area. 
Other genera that are considered to be restricted to warm, moist climates 
include Chlamytherium, Glyptotherium, Neochoerus, Dasypus, and 
Mylohyus. 
Several genera suggest a substantially cooler climate. These include; 
Mammut, Castoroides, Halichoerus, and Odobenus. The status of the 
mastodon with respect to climate is uncertain (Martin and Guilday 1967; 
Dreimanis 1968; Voorhies 1974); however, their ecological tolerances 
might reasonably be expected to be broad. Castoroides is most commonly 
found in the Great Lakes region, thus ranging into distinctly northern 
climates. But the genus also has been reported from southern localities, 
and no southern climate restrictions have been determined. Odobenus 
and Halichoerus are thought of as northern species, but their occurrence 
