LAGOMORPHS (MAMMALIA) FROM LATE MIOCENE DEPOSITS AT

Remains of 51 fossil Lagomorpha specimens were recovered from late Miocene deposits (ca. 6 Ma) at Lemudong’o, Narok, Kenya. The majority of the fossil remains are postcranial elements and are identified as Leporidae (n 5 40) based on their morphological characteristics; they represent a minimum of four individuals. Quantitative analysis of the postcranial remains suggests that this assemblage comprises a single population. A maxillary fragment that includes P2 through P4 is tentatively assigned to genus Alilepus (Dice, 1931). Taphonomic analysis of this assemblage indicates element preservation is density mediated, but fragmentation is limited and this suggests carnivorous-bird accumulation. The Lemudong’o sample represents the first record of cf. Alilepus sp. at this locality and only the second record of Alilepus, or a closely allied, genus in Africa (Winkler 2003). These remains confirm an expansion of leporids into the Narok region by ca. 6 Ma