Ancient DNA study resolves the taxonomic status of the extinct large Palaearctic crane Grus primigenia Milne-Edwards, 1871 (Aves: Gruiformes: Gruidae)
11 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Health, Environment and Medical Sciences, Bournemouth University 1 , Poole, UK
- 2Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen 2 , Aberdeen, UK
- 3Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool 3 , Liverpool, UK
- 4Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199 4 , Pessac, France
- 5Department of Animal and Microbial Biodiversity, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), María de Maeztu Center of Excellence 5 , Mallorca, Spain
- 6Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 6 , Barcelona, Spain
- 7Grup de Recerca de Ciències de la Terra, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears 7 , Palma, Spain
- 8Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB)-Staatssammlung für Paläoanatomie München (SPM) 8 , Ponig, Germany
- 9Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History 9 , Stockholm, Sweden
- 10Centre for Palaeogenetics 10 , Stockholm, Sweden
- 11Department of Zoology, Stockholm University 11 , Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract
The identity of the extinct large crane Grus primigenia has been debated for over 150 years. Alternative interpretations suggest that such large crane remains represent extant cranes such as the sarus crane Antigone antigone, the Siberian white crane Leucogeranus leucogeranus or simply larger individuals of common crane Grus grus. Morphometrics has shown that the common crane is sexually dimorphic today with larger males and smaller females. We analysed cranes from the Late Pleistocene to Late Holocene and found that the lack of smaller female-sized craneremains suggests that G. grus may have reduced in size over time. In the present study, we successfully performed an ancient DNA analysis to assess the phylogenetic identity of 18 crane remains from the Late Pleistocene of Spain and France and the Late Holocene of Britain and Germany. All remains were identified as G. grus. These ancient cranes included individuals that were larger than modern G. grus and ones that conformed in size with common crane today. Ancient DNA-based sexing found that all the bones that were larger than those of modern males were male, while specimens the size of modern males included ancient females. This confirmed that the ancient cranes were sexually dimorphic G. grus that have become smaller since the Saxon times (884 yr BP).
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BibTeX
@article{stewart2026ancient,
title = {{Ancient DNA study resolves the taxonomic status of the extinct large Palaearctic crane Grus primigenia Milne-Edwards, 1871 (Aves: Gruiformes: Gruidae)}},
author = {John R. Stewart and Rebecca Rickard and Sheila Hamilton-Dyer and Keith Dobney and Veronique Laroulandie and Josep Antoni Alcover and Joan Femenias-Gual and Nadja Pöllath and Erik Ersmark and Bodil Cronholm and Per G. P. Ericson and Love Dalén},
journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rsos.260699},
url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/260699/483927/Ancient-DNA-study-resolves-the-taxonomic-status-of},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ancient DNA study resolves the taxonomic status of the extinct large Palaearctic crane Grus primigenia Milne-Edwards, 1871 (Aves: Gruiformes: Gruidae)
AU - John R. Stewart
AU - Rebecca Rickard
AU - Sheila Hamilton-Dyer
AU - Keith Dobney
AU - Veronique Laroulandie
AU - Josep Antoni Alcover
AU - Joan Femenias-Gual
AU - Nadja Pöllath
AU - Erik Ersmark
AU - Bodil Cronholm
AU - Per G. P. Ericson
AU - Love Dalén
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Royal Society Open Science
DO - 10.1098/rsos.260699
UR - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/260699/483927/Ancient-DNA-study-resolves-the-taxonomic-status-of
AB - The identity of the extinct large crane Grus primigenia has been debated for over 150 years. Alternative interpretations suggest that such large crane remains represent extant cranes such as the sarus crane Antigone antigone, the Siberian white crane Leucogeranus leucogeranus or simply larger individuals of common crane Grus grus. Morphometrics has shown that the common crane is sexually dimorphic today with larger males and smaller females. We analysed cranes from the Late Pleistocene to Late Holocene and found that the lack of smaller female-sized craneremains suggests that G. grus may have reduced in size over time. In the present study, we successfully performed an ancient DNA analysis to assess the phylogenetic identity of 18 crane remains from the Late Pleistocene of Spain and France and the Late Holocene of Britain and Germany. All remains were identified as G. grus. These ancient cranes included individuals that were larger than modern G. grus and ones that conformed in size with common crane today. Ancient DNA-based sexing found that all the bones that were larger than those of modern males were male, while specimens the size of modern males included ancient females. This confirmed that the ancient cranes were sexually dimorphic G. grus that have become smaller since the Saxon times (884 yr BP).
SN - 2054-5703
ER -