Ancient teeth reveal mammalian responses to climate change in Southeast Asia
Sadie Harley
scientific editor
Robert Egan
associate editor
A study published in Science Advances and led by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, uncovers how flexibility made the difference between survival and extinction. By analyzing fossil teeth from Vietnam and Laos, an international team reconstructed the diets and habitats of extinct, extirpated, and still-living species.
The results show that animals with varied diets and habitats were more likely to endure, while narrow specialists largely disappeared.
The team examined 141 fossil teeth dating from 150,000 to 13,000 years ago and combined them with existing records. Using stable isotope analysis of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and zinc, they examined dietary responses to environmental shifts.
"By analyzing chemical traces in tooth enamel, we can piece together ancient diets and environments in remarkable detail," says lead author Dr. Nicolas Bourgon. "Comparing species across time shows why some survived while others vanished."
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Dr. Nicolas Bourgon (left) preparing samples for zinc isotope analysis, and Dr. Tina L眉decke (right) carefully adding liquid nitrogen to a beaker as part of ultra-sensitive nitrogen isotope measurements. These cutting-edge laboratory techniques allow scientists to extract chemical signals preserved in fossil tooth enamel, providing unprecedented insights into the diets and ecological flexibility of ancient mammals. Credit: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry -
Archaeologists working deep within Coc Muoi cave during a Vietnamese鈥揊rench collaborative field campaign. The illuminated excavation area yielded fossil teeth of Pleistocene mammals, later analyzed for their chemical signatures to reconstruct ancient diets and environments. Credit: Truong Huu Nghia, Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department of Vietnam's Institute of Archaeology
Animals like sambar deer, macaques, and wild boar proved adaptable, as reflected in wide isotopic ranges. In contrast, specialists such as orangutans, tapirs, and rhinoceroses showed narrower profiles tied to particular habitats. As environments shifted, generalists endured while specialists were left vulnerable.
Orangutans, now limited to Borneo and Sumatra, once ranged widely across Southeast Asia. Isotope results suggest they consistently relied on fruit from closed-canopy forests, even during environmental change.
"Even though modern orangutans can turn to alternative foods during hard times, their survival still depends on intact forests," says Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, co-author from the Anthropological and Paleoenvironmental Department of Vietnam's Institute of Archaeology. "It looks like this has been true for tens of thousands of years."
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View of the limestone hill that houses Coc Muoi cave, located near the Chinese border about 155 km northeast of Hanoi, in Vietnam's Lang Son province. The surrounding landscape is characterized by limestone hills and tower karsts. Since the 1960s, Lang Son has produced major fossil assemblages that have been central to building the biochronology of the Middle to Late Pleistocene in the Indochinese region. Credit: Dr. Anne-Marie Bacon, UMR 8045 BABEL, Universit茅 Paris Cit茅, CNRS, France -
The forested entrance of Coc Muoi cave, located about 10 meters above the surrounding cultivated plain. Hidden in the limestone hills of Vietnam's Lang Son province, the cave has preserved fossil remains of Pleistocene mammals that provide vital insights into how species responded to past climate and environmental changes. Credit: Truong Huu Nghia, Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department of Vietnam's Institute of Archaeology
With Southeast Asia facing the fastest tropical deforestation worldwide, the lessons from the past are urgent.
"Understanding how species coped with ancient pressures helps predict their resilience today," said senior author Prof. Patrick Roberts of the Max Planck Institute. The study highlights the need to conserve not just species, but the ecological conditions that sustain them.
"This is about more than just ancient animals," Bourgon adds. "It's about learning from the past to protect the future."
More information: Faunal persistence and ecological flexibility in Pleistocene Southeast Asia revealed through multi-isotope analysis, Science Advances (2025).
Journal information: Science Advances
Provided by Max Planck Society
