Bian Wang

Chinese Academy of Sciences | CAS · Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology

The Rhinocerotidae was one of most widespread and abundant mammalian groups in North America during the Oligocene and Miocene but were extinct by the early Pliocene. Potential drivers of extinction include the expansion of C4 grasslands, cooling climate, and increased seasonality. Here we examine potential changes in the relative abundance of two c...

The mammalian family Bovidae has been widely studied in ecomorphological research, with important applications to paleoecological and paleohabitat reconstructions. Most studies of bovid craniomandibular features in relation to diet have used linear measurements. In this study, we conduct landmark-based geometric-morphometric analyses to evaluate wh...

The stable carbon-isotope composition of mammalian tooth enamel is a powerful tool for reconstructing paleodiet and paleoenvironment. Its application in the fossil record relies on a thorough understanding of the isotopic composition of mammalian diets in modern ecosystems. We compiled and evaluated a global dataset of the carbon-isotope values of...

For a hundred years the Saint Jacques area has been known to produce rich Oligocene vertebrate fossils, yet only a handful of previous studies have focused on this area. Since 2010, we have conducted 12 field expeditions to Saint Jacques, and here we report findings from our paleontological excavations and stratigraphical investigations. Twenty-two...

Paleoenvironmental reconstructions of fossil sites based on isotopic analyses of enamel typically rely on data from multiple herbivore taxa, with the assumption that this dietary spectrum represents the community’s isotopic range and provides insights into local or regional vegetation patterns. However, it remains unclear how representative the sam...

Fossil teeth representing four species of Lophiomeryx are identified from early Oligocene strata in the Saint Jacques area of Nei Mongol, including L. shinaoensis, L. gracilis, L. cf. chalaniati, and L. triangularis sp. nov. This represents the highest species richness of this early traguline from a single stratigraphic sequence. The new materials...

The Eocene–Oligocene Transition (EOT) was one of the most profound climate changes in the Cenozoic era, characterized by global cooling around 34 million years ago. This time period also witnessed major faunal turnovers, such as the “Mongolian Remodeling” of Asia, characterized by the dominance of rodents and lagomorphs after the EOT. Previous stud...

The order Artiodactyla is a diverse group of terrestrial mammals that has been an important component of most terrestrial ecosystems since the Eocene. Understanding artiodactyl dietary ecology in relation to environmental gradients, morphological traits, and isotope ecology provides useful tools for making ecological inferences in the fossil record...

Members of the family Rhinocerotidae were one of most successful mammal groups of the Oligocene and Miocene in North America. Their extinction in the early Pliocene has been attributed to several causes associated with environmental change. This study uses stable isotopes to test whether or not the last North American rhinoceroses, Aphelops and Tel...