ABSTRACT
The carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of both modern and fossil mammalian herbivores’ enamel provides important information about their diets. Diets dominated by C3 plants (dicots including trees, shrubs, herbs and forbs) and cool season (high latitude or altitude) grasses or sedges, those dominated by C4 plants (mostly monocots, such as warm season grasses and sedges), and those of mixed feeding can very well be distinguished based on stable isotope studies. On the other hand, dental microwear patterns resulting from the abrasion of teeth by food items consumed during the last days of the animal prior to death provide invaluable clues to both modern and ancient diets. By combining both these approaches, high-resolution dietary reconstructions are made, which in turn facilitates the reconstruction of past habitat. Based on these parameters and feeding behaviours, extant and extinct ungulates have been categorized into browsers, grazers and mixed feeders. The browsers feed on leaves and fruits from various dicotyledonous species, whereas grazers consume mainly grasses, sedges and rushes.
