Land mammals and the great American interchange

Abstract

About 3 million years ago the Americas were united by the emergence of the Panamanian land bridge, though some interchange of taxa had occurred since 8 m.y. BP. The resulting intermingling represents the best-documented example in the fossil record of the mixing of two long-separated continental faunas. The history of the South American land mammals, and their classification into 3 main strate, is given. "Waifs and walkers', filter effects of the land bridge, faunal dynamics, and the success of the North American taxa in colonising South America, are described. -after Author