Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
Published on: September 4, 2016
Apex Predators, Rockshelters, and Zoonoses in the Patagonian Holocene
1Laboratorio de Parasitología de Sitios Arqueológicos. CONICET-Depto. de Biología, FCEyN, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Calle Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina.
Abstract:
Carnivorous mammals are a trophic guild with an important role in the dissemination of parasite infective stages (larvae, eggs, cysts, and oocysts). In the present study, new samples of coprolites attributed to carnivorous mammals, obtained from 2 archaeological caves, were analyzed for the presence of parasites with the aim to increase the knowledge about parasites in rockshelters that could have spread to humans and other mammals. To this purpose, fragments of 3 coprolites from Cerro Casa de Piedra, cave 5 and cave 7, were examined. Coprolites were rehydrated in aqueous trisodium phosphate and processed by spontaneous sedimentation. High parasite richness was observed and new parasite species for archaeological contexts were found. The parasitological findings in Puma concolor coprolites associated with caves suggest the importance of these carnivores in the dissemination of parasites in areas with high re-use of space and steady conditions of temperature, humidity, and radiation.
More Related Videos
05:08Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins
Published on: July 8, 2025
04:51A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
Published on: July 8, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
The Fossil Record
Optimal Foraging
What is Evolutionary History?
Predator-Prey Interactions
Habitat Fragmentation