Osteological diseases in an extinct Notiomastodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea) population from the Late Pleistocene of Brazil

We performed a paleopathological and paleoepidemiological analysis for a Notiomastodon platensis population (47 individuals) from the Late Pleistocene of Brazil recovered from Quaternary sediments in Águas de Araxá (QAA), which revealed three different osseous diseases: Schmorl's node, osteomyelitis and osteoarthritis. All diagnosed injuries were observed in adult individuals, with 6.3% of crude prevalence (3/47 individuals) and 10.3% age-specific prevalence (3/29 adults individuals). The lesions suggest a more stress of diseases in adult individuals than in young ones, which can be due to the characteristic of the populational structure (declining population).