Peptide Mass Fingerprinting of South American Xenarthrans: A New Resource for Zooarcheology and Palaeontology

Xenarthransarmadillos, anteaters, and slothsare
endemic to the Americas, primarily inhabiting the Neotropics, where
they represent a key component of faunal diversity. They have essential
functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient
cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Despite their frequent
occurrence in archeological and paleontological contexts, their identification
is often hindered by the highly fragmented and morphologically indistinct
nature of bone remains. This limits our ability to track their biogeographic
histories, population dynamics, and interactions with past human populations.
To address this, we present a novel set of Zooarcheology by Mass Spectrometry
(ZooMS) peptide markers for ten extant and extinct Xenarthran species,
enabling taxonomic identification of fragmented and morphologically
indistinct bone assemblages. By enhancing the taxonomic resolution
of fragmented faunal material, this work advances the reconstruction
of past species distributions, long-term biodiversity trends, and
human–animal interactions. Furthermore, it provides a foundation
for an improved understanding of Xenarthran extinction and adaptation
dynamics and can support conservation and ecosystem restoration efforts
by informing models of historical biogeography and species abundance.