Fig. 1

Atlas of Burmeister (1864, 1864–1869a) in comparison with atlases of Macrauchenia patachonica and bovid material. A, B The bovid atlas of Burmeister as a drawing in Burmeister (1864–1869a; Plate IV) in ventral view (A), and photographed in ventral view (B). C–E Atlases of Macrauchenia patachonica in ventral view: PIMUZ A/V 5700 (C), cast in the MACN of MLP 12-14244 (D), and MACN-PV 16618 (E). F Atlas of Bos taurus (Chillingham cattle; NMS.Z.2023.49) in ventral view. G Left upper molar of a bovid, probably Bos, from the Bravard collection (MACN-PV 2379), found in the “Pampean Formation”, Entre Ríos, Argentina, and classified by Florentino Ameghino as Platatherium pampeanus. H Bovid skull, probably Bos (MACN-PV 15141), showing some diagenetic alteration affecting its colour and texture. Notice in A and B the absence of the transverse foramen and the alar notch, and also the great development of the dorsal tubercle. These features are clearly different from an atlas of Macrauchenia (C, D) and are consistent with an atlas of Bos, particularly with Bos primigenius (personal observation [HPP]; not illustrated). The considerable size difference between the bovid atlas of Burmeister (A) and the specimen of Bos taurus (B) can be explained by the fact that the latter is a Chillingham cattle, which is a relatively small-sized cattle breed, and potentially by sexual dimorphism (Grigson, 1974). The silhouettes in grey are reconstructions of the missing portions of the atlases. Abbreviations: ala for, alar foramen; atla fos, atlantic fossa; lat v for, lateral vertebral foramen; occip, occipital; tr for, transverse foramen; tr proc, transverse process; vent tub, ventral tubercle