2026 in paleomammalogy

This article records new taxa of fossil mammals of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2026, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of mammals that are scheduled to occur in the year 2026.

• A study on the morphology of the astragalus and calcaneus in extant and extinct proboscideans, providing evidence of morphological changes of ankles bones related to increase of the body mass and evolution of the columnar posture of members of the group, is published by Tetaert et al. (2026).^[1]
• A study on the chemical composition of teeth of Gomphotherium angustidens from the Miocene (Langhian) strata from Quinta da Farinheira (Portugal), providing evidence of seasonal changes in the diet of the studied proboscidean and probable evidence of geophagia during fixed times of the year, is published by Coimbra et al. (2026).^[2]
• New fossil material of Notiomastodon platensis is described from the Lujanian strata of the La Chumbiada Member of the Lujan Formation (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) by Prado et al. (2026).^[3]
• The first complete skull of a member of the genus Cuvieronius (C. cf. tropicus) from North America reported to date is described from the Pleistocene (Irvingtonian) strata of the Camp Rice Formation (New Mexico, United States) by Houde et al. (2026), who argue that North/Central American and South American members of the genus Cuvieronius likely represent two distinct cryptic species.^[4]
• Kumar (2026) reports the first discovery of fossil material of Anancus sivalensis from Indian Siwaliks, recovered from the Pliocene Tatrot Formation in Himachal Pradesh.^[5]
• Armaroli et al. (2026) reconstruct the ecology and habitat use of straight-tusked elephants from the Neumark-Nord site (Germany) on the basis of the study of the strontium isotopic composition of their remains and on the basis of proteomic analysis, reporting evidence indicating that the studied elephant assemblage included both male and female individuals from geographically separated populations that migrated to the lake basins of Neumark-Nord, and evidence of seasonal mobility of the studied individuals, including probable evidence of two male individuals dwelling in mountainous areas within 300 km of Neumark-Nord.^[6]
• Hannold et al. (2026) reconstruct the diets of pygmy mammoths from Northern Channel Islands and Columbian mammoths from Rancho La Brea and coastal Santa Barbara in southern California on the basis of stable isotopes in tooth enamel.^[7]
• Evidence from the study of tooth enamel of Columbian mammoths from 14 sites in the Central Basin of Mexico, interpreted as indicative of a generalist diet with varying proportions of C₃ and C₄ plants, is presented by Rodríguez-Franco et al. (2026).^[8]
• Evidence from the study of carbon, oxygen and strontium isotope composition of Columbian mammoth remains from the Colby Site (Wyoming, United States), indicative of the studied mammoths feeding mainly on C₃ plants and having a range of less than 250 km, is presented by Doering, Mackie & Herron (2026), who interpret the assemblage of mammoth remains from the studied site as more likely resulting from multiple hunting episoded than from a single massive one.^[9]

• Saha, Bhardwaj & Bajpai (2026) study the restructuring of the sirenian skull throughout the evolutionary history of the group on the basis of data from extant and fossil taxa.^[11]

• Raynaud et al. (2026) interpret the composition of the Eocene plant assemblage from the Bultu-Zile site (Meryemdere Formation; Turkey), reconstructed on the basis of study of the palynoflora from this site, as indicating that embrithopods from the site lived in a swamp-freshwater environment, representing one of the first embrithopod records outside mangrove-dominated ecosystems.^[13]

• Cartmill & Brown (2026) review the history of the visual-predation theory, and argue that it represents the best available explanation for the origin of primates.^[14]
• Alfieri et al. (2026) reconstruct the locomotor behavior of Malagasy Quaternary lemurs on the basis of the study of their humeral and femoral trabecular architecture, reporting evidence of suspensory adaptations not only in sloth lemurs, but also in Megaladapis edwardsi.^[15]
• Cooke et al. (2026) report the first discovery of mandibular remains of Stirtonia victoriae from the La Victoria Formation (Colombia), and interpret their anatomy as indicative of leaf-eating adaptations of the studied monkey.^[16]
• Arias-Martorell et al. (2026) report evidence of similarities of shape of the radial head of Pliobates cataloniae and extant apes, and interpret Pliobates as better adapted to climbing than to behaviors involving forelimb-dominated suspension.^[17]
• Evidence of similarity of molar morphology to those of members of the genus Papio, and likely evidence of opportunistic feeding strategies, is reported in a specimen of Paradolichopithecus aff. arvernensis from the Dafnero-3 site (Greece) by Plastiras et al. (2026).^[18]
• Evidence from the study of the cranial endocast of Rudapithecus hungaricus, indicative of presence of sulcal patterns similar to those seen in gorillas, is presented by Assance, Silcox & Begun (2026).^[19]
• Spassov et al. (2026) report the discovery of a nearly complete femur of cf. Graecopithecus from the Miocene strata from the Azmaka-6 locality near Chirpan (Bulgaria), sharing morphological traits with both quadrupeds and bipeds, and interpreted as indicative of a transitional locomotor repertoire including both terrestrial quadrupedalism and an early form of facultative bipedalism.^[20]
• Jansma & Locke (2026) interpret Xenopithecus koruensis as a valid basal hominoid taxon distinct from Proconsul africanus.^[21]
• Williams et al. (2026) study the anatomy of ulna and femur or Sahelanthropus tchadensis, interpreted as indicative of presence of adaptations to bipedalism in spite of similarities in size and geometric morphometric shape to bones of chimpanzees.^[22]

• Cerrito, Burkart & van Schaik (2026) review the techniques used to extract information on life history from hominin fossils.^[23]
• Evidence indicating that hominins repeatedly inhabited areas of Africa with climate suitable for both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis during their evolutionary history is presented by Trájer (2026).^[24]
• Evidence from the study of ethnohistorical and ethnographic records of modern endurance pursuit hunters, indicating that optimization of subsistence efficiency and signaling of hunting prowess were likely the primary selective pressures in the evolution of a running gait of early hominins, is presented by Winterhalder & Morin (2026).^[25]
• Gat, Subsol & Braga (2026) compare the development of the cortical bone in the mandible during the early ontogeny of extant chimpanzees and human and in fossil hominins, linking the robust morphology of the mandible of Paranthropus to a distinct developmental trajectory.^[26]
• Orr et al. (2026) provide a catalog of isolated postcranial remains of hominins from Drimolen (South Africa) collected between 1994 and 2015.^[27]
• Alemseged et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of Paranthropus from the Mille-Logya research area determined to be between 2.5 and 2.9-million-years-old, representing the first record of the genus in the Afar region of Ethiopia and one of the oldest records of a member of the genus reported to date.^[28]
• Evidence of a comparable range of stress values on the pelvic floor of australopithecines and humans during birth is presented by Frémondière et al. (2026).^[29]
• Beaudet et al. (2026) present a digital reconstruction of the face of the Australopithecus specimen Stw 573 ("Little Foot").^[30]
• The most complete skeleton of Homo habilis reported to date is described from the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation (Kenya) by Grine et al. (2026).^[31]
• Delagnes et al. (2026) study the mobility of Early Pleistocene hominins from the Lower Omo Valley (Shungura Formation, Ethiopia), providing evidence of transport of quartz for the production of Oldowan stone tools from the alluvial fans of the Hamar Range, over 10 km from the sites preserving the stone tools, located in areas that lacked stone material but had rich faunal assemblages.^[32]
• Dominguez-Rodrigo et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new site (Emiliano Aguirre Korongo) at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) preserving proboscidean remains with bone modifications interpreted as the authors as evidence of butchery assisted by stone tools, and interpret the fossil record of megafaunal bone modifications at Olduvai Gorge as consistent with more frequent and widespread megafaunal butchery after 1.8 million years ago, roughly coinciding with the replacement of Oldowan industries by Acheulian ones.^[33]
• Tu et al. (2026) determine the three crania of Homo erectus from the Yunxian site (Hubei, China) to be approximately 1.77 million years old, representing the oldest securely dated hominin fossils from eastern Asia reported to date.^[34]
• Gousset et al. (2026) study the phylogenetic relationships of Homo luzonensis, and interpret the studied hominin as most likely originating from an Asian population of Homo erectus, resulting in evolutionary reversals in an insular context and likely caused by living in tropical environment.^[35]
• Approximately 430,000-years-old wooden tools are identified from the Marathousa site in the Megalopolis Basin (Greece) by Milks et al. (2026).^[36]
• Martín-Francés et al. (2026) interpret the molar wear in the Sima de los Huesos hominins as suggestive of a mixed diet including similar proportions of meat and plant foods.^[37]
• Parfitt & Bello (2026) describe a 480,000-years-old knapping tool made on an elephant bone from the Boxgrove Palaeolithic site (United Kingdom), representing the oldest case of an elephant bone being used as a raw material in Europe reported to date.^[38]
• A study on the Acheulean handaxe variability in southeastern Britain, interpreted as consistent with presence of distinct regional cultural groups during the Marine Isotope Stage 11, is published by White et al. (2026).^[39]
• García-Martínez et al. (2026) provide the first proteomics-based sex identification of a hominin tooth from the Middle Pleistocene of western Europe, using the analysis of the presence of amelogenin to attribute a hominin molar from the Middle Pleistocene site of Ruidera (Spain) to a male individual.^[40]
• Rosas et al. (2026) review different models of evolution of European hominins during the Middle Pleistocene (including evolutionary models including all European population in the lineage ancestral to Neanderthals and the models proposing coexistence of multiple contemporaneous lineages in Europe) and the analytical frameworks supporting these models.^[41]
• Yue et al. (2026) report evidence of production of diverse stone tools at the Xigou site (Henan, China) between 160,000 and 72,000 years ago, including evidence of well-organised core reduction strategies, production of diverse small flake-based tools, and hafted implements.^[42]
• Siemssen et al. (2026) report evidence of antibacterial properties of birch tar produced with methods used in Europe during the Middle Paleolithic.^[43]
• Verheijen et al. (2026) study evidence of Neanderthal activity in faunal remains from the Lehringen site (Germany), reporting evidence of defleshing of a straight-tusked elephant when its carcass was in fresh state and evidence of butchery of a beaver, bear and aurochs.^[44]
• A study on Neanderthal teeth from the Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains (Russia), indicating that the studied sample overall falls within the known Neanderthal phenotypic variability but also preserves specific morphological traits, is published by Gicqueau et al. (2026).^[45]
• Massilani et al. (2026) present a high-quality genome of an approximately 110,000-years-old Neanderthal individual from the Denisova Cave (Russia), providing evidence of a closer relationship of the studied individual to a 120,000-years-old Neanderthal from the same cave than to a 80,000-years-old individual from the Chagyrskaya Cave or to European Neanderthals, evidence of gene flow from Denisovans in both Neanderthals from the Denisova Cave, and evidence of differentiation between Altai and European Neanderthals comparable to that of the most differentiated populations of modern humans.^[46]
• Palancar et al. (2026) provide evidence of a clear morphological distinction between axes of Neanderthals and modern humans on the basis of the study of a Neanderthal axis from the Sidrón Cave (Spain).^[47]
• Rodrigo et al. (2026) provide evidence from the study of animal remains from the Fumane Cave (Italy) indicative of a structured subsistence strategy of Neanderthals occupying the site, including processing of carcasses at kill locations and selective transport of high-yield portions of the carcasses into the cave for secondary processing.^[48]
• Burke et al. (2026) determine the distribution of habitats suitable for Neanderthals and modern humans in Europe during stadial and interstadial events of Marine Isotope Stage 3, providing evidence of a shift but not complete disappearance of habitats suitable for Neanderthals as a result of climate changes, weak connectivity between optimal regions for Neanderthals, and overlaps between optimal regions of the two hominins.^[49]
• Fotiadou et al. (2026) reconstruct the demographic history of late Neanderthals on the basis of data from mitochondrial DNA, reporting evidence indicating that nearly all late Neanderthals from Europe belonged to a single mitochondrial DNA lineage, likely as a result of expansion across Europe from a refugium in southwestern France, and evidence of rapid decline in the effective population size of late Neanderthals shortly before their extinction.^[50]
• Platt, Harris & Tishkoff (2026) reconstruct likely patterns of interbreeding between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans on the basis of the study of their X chromosomes, interpreted as indicating that their interbreeding predominantly involved Neanderthal men mating with anatomically modern women.^[51]
• Evidence from the study of Middle and Upper Paleolithic assemblages, indicating that overall anatomically modern human occupations can be distinguished from Neanderthal ones on the basis of tighter and more cohesive clusters of archaeological remains, is presented by Merino-Pelaz & Cobo-Sánchez (2026).^[52]
• Hublin et al. (2026) report the discovery of new, approximately 773,000-years-old hominin fossils from Grotte à Hominidés at Thomas Quarry I in Casablanca (Morocco), close in age to Homo antecessor but morphologically distinct from members of this species, preserving a combination of primitive and derived traits seen in Eurasian archaic hominins and in Homo sapiens.^[53]
• Evidence from the study of a stratified sequence of lithic assemblages ranging from Acheulian to the Middle Stone Age from the Amanzi Springs archaeological site (South Africa), indicative of emergence of the Middle Stone Age in the studied area around 230,000 years ago, is presented by Blackwood et al. (2026).^[54]
• García-Morato et al. (2026) reconstruct climate and vegetation changes in southern Africa from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to Marine Isotope Stage 3, and find that the emergence of the 76,000-67,000-years-old Stilbaai lithic technocomplex coincided with humid, cool phase that likely supported high biomass and expanded habitable zones, while the 64,000-60,000 years of Howiesons Poort technocomplex arose and ended during peaks of aridity, with a wetter interval midway through them.^[55]
• Evidence from the study of engraved ostrich eggshell fragments from the Howiesons Poort technocomplex, indicating that the studied engravings represent an expression of complex graphic representation by Middle Stone Age humans, is presented by Decembrini et al. (2026).^[56]
• Alichane et al. (2026) study the morphology of the enamel-dentine junction of the first and second molars in hominins associated with the Middle Stone Age Aterian technocomplexes in northwestern Africa, reporting evidence of overall closer morphological similarity to anatomically modern humans than to Neanderthals, but also evidence of morphological differences that might be related to the age and large size of the studied teeth.^[57]
• Evidence of application of poison derived from plants (likely from Boophone disticha) on the tips of 60,000-years-old arrowhead from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter (South Africa) is presented by Isaksson, Högberg & Lombard (2026).^[58]
• Litov, Ben-Dor & Barkai (2026) interpret the decline of use of in heavy-duty tools in Levant after the Lower-Middle Paleolithic transition, coinciding with decline of megaherbivores in the studied region, as indicating that the studied tools were primarily used for processing of large prey.^[59]
• Abbas et al. (2026) provide evidence from the study of riverine wetland environments from the Hamra Faddan and Wadi al-Hasa localities from the eastern margin of the Jordan Rift Valley interpreted as indicating that southern Levant provided a stable environmental niche that sustained human populations from the late Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic.^[60]
• Zhao et al. (2026) study the morphology of hominin limb bones from the Salawusu site (China), finding no evidence of diagnostic features of the Neanderthal lineage, and reporting morphological evidence consistent with affinities with modern humans.^[61]
• Li et al. (2026) report evidence from the study of the palynological record from the East China Sea continental shelf spanning the past 71,000 years indicative of presence of a cool, dry temperate grassland biome during the lowstand intervals (including the Last Glacial Maximum), as well as evidence of presence of an open-forest landscape during the milder conditions of the Marine Isotope Stage 3, and interpret their findings as supporting the interpretation of the exposed East China Sea continental shelf as a habitat facilitating the initial dispersal of early modern humans into East Asia.^[62]
• Oktaviana et al. (2026) provide age estimates for Pleistocene rock art (hand stencils, human figures and non-figurative, geometric motifs) from southeastern Sulawesi (Indonesia) and determine the calcite overlying a hand stencil from Liang Metanduno on Muna Island to be at least 67,800 years old, representing the oldest demonstrated minimum-age constraints for parietal art worldwide reported to date, and interpreted as the oldest known archaeological evidence for the presence of Homo sapiens in Wallacea.^[63]
• Borreggine et al. (2026) reconstruct likely timing and paths of early human migration from Sundaland into Sahul, and find northern routes of migration to be more likely than southern when changes of sea level and ocean currents are taken into account.^[64]
• Evidence indicating that Aurignacian artifacts from cave sites in southwestern Germany were adorned with geometric sign sequences of comparable complexity to that of early proto-cuneiform is presented by Bentz & Dutkiewicz (2026).^[65]
• A study on the age of the carbonate thin layers covering or underlying rock art from the Cave of Altamira (Spain), providing evidence of several periods of cave art from the ceiling of the studied cave, is published by Pons-Branchu et al. (2026).^[66]
• Evidence from the Velika Pećina, Velika Vranovica and Pećina kod Stene cave sites (Serbia), indicative of human presence in central Balkans during the Last Glacial Maximum, is presented by Kuhn et al. (2026).^[67]
• Evidence indicating that Solutrean artifacts from the Peña Capón rock shelter (Muriel-Tamajón, Spain) were sourced 600 to 700 kilometers away from this site, in the present-day territory of southwest France, is presented by Sánchez de la Torre et al. (2026).^[68]
• Reiche et al. (2026) determine the age of the carbon black-based figures in the rock art from the Font-de-Gaume cave (France) on the basis of chemical imaging and radiocarbon dating.^[69]
• Allaby et al. (2026) reconstruct the environment of the Southern River system in southern Doggerland on the basis of sedimentological and sedimentary ancient DNA, and report evidence indicating that early colonization of Doggerland was facilitated by presence of northern refugia during the early Mesolithic.^[70]
• Evidence from the study of assemblages of Pleistocene perishable objects from the Cougar Mountain Cave and Paisley Caves (Oregon, United States), indicative of complexity and sophistication of perishable technologies in the North American Great Basin during the Late Pleistocene, is presented by Rosencrance et al. (2026).^[71]
• Zhang et al. (2026) sequence genomes of individuals from the Donghulin site in the North China Plain, and report evidence of population changes over two millennia during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition.^[72]
• Evidence from the study of stone tool assemblages from the Buhais Rockshelter (United Arab Emirates) indicative of repeated occupation of the studied area between 210,000 and 16,000 years ago (including in the time of overall increased aridity of the Arabian Peninsula between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago) is presented by Bretzke et al. (2026).^[73]
• Evidence from the study of Natufian artefacts and rock art from the Sahout site and the neighbouring sites of Jebel Arnaan and Jebel Misma (Saudi Arabia), indicative of occupation of the studied area by communities interacting with people from the Fertile Crescent during the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene, is presented by Shipton et al. (2026).^[74]
• Davin et al. (2026) report the discovery of clay ornaments from Natufian (late Epipalaeolithic) sites in Israel, interpreted as produced both by adults and by children, and representing the earliest known clay ornamental tradition outside of Europe.^[75]
• Evidence of intentional pyre cremation at the HOR-1 site (Malawi) approximately 9500 years before present, representing the oldest adult pyre cremation in the world reported to date, is presented by Cerezo-Román et al. (2026).^[76]
• Surovell et al. (2026) provide new information on the age of the purported pre-Clovis site Monte Verde II (Chile), and argue that the site cannot be older than the middle Holocene.^[77]
• Balzeau et al. (2026) provide a direct comparison between brain and endocast characteristics in the same individuals on the basis of data from the study of 75 volunteers, reporting the discovery of endocranial marks unrelated to cerebral sulci, and propose a new standardised approach to the study of fossil endocasts and reconstruction of brains of fossil hominins.^[78]
• Review of virtual anatomy methods used in paleoanthropological studies is published by Aramendi & de Jager (2026).^[79]
• Keevil et al. (2026) provide measurement data from bone surface modifications resulting from simulated stone tool and percussive butchery, carnivore feeding trials and ungulate trampling, facilitating identification of bone modifications in the studies on the origin and evolution of human carnivory.^[80]

• Li, Bi & Li (2026) present the first virtual endocasts of Paleogene ctenodactyloids Exmus mini and Bounomys ulantatalensis.^[87]
• The first fossil material of Hystrix subcristata from Taiwan is reported from the Pleistocene Chiting Formation by Halaçlar & Lin (2026).^[88]
• Selvatici et al. (2026) determine a previously unidentified mummified animal from the Homestake Gulch site (Yukon, Canada) as a late Holocene (approximately 3000-years-old) New World porcupine, report the recovery of the first complete ancient mitochondrial genome of a member of this species, and interpret this finding as evidence of appearance of the New World porcupines in the studied area after the appearance of the boreal forest in the aftermath of the Last Glacial Period.^[89]
• Carrillo et al. (2026) study the evolutionary history of caviomorph rodents on the basis of data from extant and extinct members of the group, providing evidence of different trajectories of taxonomic and morphological diversification of Chinchilloidea and Octodontoidea.^[90]
• A study on the evolution of incisors of Eocene-Oligocene muroid rodents from Balkanatolia is published by van de Weerd et al. (2026).^[91]
• Baca et al. (2026) reconstruct the evolutionary history of the field vole species complex based on data from modern mitogenomes and nuclear genomes and from ancient genomes of specimens spanning the last 75,000 years.^[92]
• Alfaro-Ibáñez et al. (2026) study mitochondrial genomes of Pleistocene tundra voles from the El Mirón Cave (Spain), and indentify a novel, extinct southern European haplogroup within this species.^[93]
• Bujalska et al. (2026) reconstruct the evolutionary history of European small hamsters on the basis of mitochondrial genomes from Late Pleistocene and Holocene remains from Central and Western Europe, the Balkans and Anatolia, identifying evidence of presence of the winter white dwarf hamster in Central Europe during the Late Pleistocene.^[94]

• Zhang & Wang (2026) revise and study the affinities of fossil lagomorphs from China.^[95]
• Chester et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of Purgatorius from the Denver Formation (Colorado, United States), representing the first record of a Puercan plesiadapiform south of Montana reported to date.^[96]

• Peacock & Thewissen (2026) compare volume measurements of the bony labyrinth in extant mammals and Eocene cetaceans, and hypothesize that fossil cetaceans had membranous ducts of relatively larger size compared to terrestrial even-toed ungulates, and that vestibular organs of early cetaceans were necessary for terrestrial locomotion.^[98]
• A deciduous tooth of a basilosaurid with evidence of malformation that might have been caused by localized stress is described from the Eocene Submeseta Formation (Seymour Island, Antarctica) by Bajor et al. (2026).^[99]
• Van Rompaey et al. (2026) describe fossil material of Brevirostrodelphis aff. dividum and Brevirostrodelphis sp. from the Berchem Formation (Belgium), providing evidence of presence of members of this genus in the North Sea Basin and their trans-Atlantic distribution during the Miocene, and reinterpret the type specimen of Phocaenopsis sheynensis as a specimen of Kentriodon sp.^[100]
• The first porpoise fossil material from the western North Atlantic is reported from the Pliocene strata near Charleston (South Carolina, United States) by Kofranek et al. (2026).^[101]
• Tanaka et al. (2026) report the first discovery of fossil material of a toothed whale from the Miocene (Burdigalian to Langhian) strata of the Korematsu Formation (Japan).^[102]
• Strauch & Pyenson (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of cf. Salishicetus from the Oligocene or Miocene strata of the Vaqueros Formation (California, United States).^[103]
• Agnolín, Bogan & Lucero (2026) consider Balaena pampaea, Notiocetus romerianus and N. platensis to be nomina dubia, interpreting the fossil material of N. platensis as remains of an indeterminate baleen whale, and interpreting fossils of B. pampaea and N. romerianus as remains of an indeterminate balaenid.^[104]
• Lambert et al. (2026) report shark feeding traces on bones of cetacean specimens from the Pliocene Kattendijk Formation (Belgium), including evidence of a bluntnose sixgill shark feeding on a right whale Balaenella brachyrhynus and evidence of Carcharodon plicatilis feeding on a member of the genus Casatia.^[105]

• Review of the fossil record and evolutionary history of South American camelids is published by Castillo, Corti & Samaniego (2026).^[108]
• Evidence of stability of the morphology locomotor traits in the astragali of camelids and antilocaprids from the Dove Spring Formation in spite of environmental changes in the Miocene is presented by Hardy & Kort (2026).^[109]
• Arranz et al. (2026) revise the composition of the Miocene (Vallesian) suid assemblage from the Can Llobateres 1 locality (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Spain).^[110]
• Evidence of presence of fossil material of seven ruminant taxa at the Pliocene site of Jradzor (Armenia) is presented by Bukhsianidze (2026).^[111]
• A study on tooth enamel histology of Eotragus noyei and Procervulus cf. dichotomus from the Miocene site of els Casots (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Spain), providing probable evidence of fast life histories of the studied ungulates, is published by Cuccu et al. (2026).^[112]
• New fossil material of Sinomegaceros ordosianus, providing new information on the morphology of members of this species, is described from the Pleistocene strata from the Yitong River basin (China) by Zhang & Wang (2026).^[113]
• Martínez-Polanco (2026) determines diet of extant Neotropical deers (including local dietary variation within species) on the basis of the study of their tooth wear, providing reference data that can be used to determine diets of fossil deers and other small- to medium-sized ungulates.^[114]
• Dumitru et al. (2026) determine that deposition of fossils of Myotragus antiquus in Cova des Fum (Mallorca, Spain) happened between 3.60 and 3.45 million years ago, indicating that M. antiquus lived years earlier than indicated by previous estimates.^[115]
• Armaroli et al. (2026) provide new information on the late Pleistocene Alpine ibex population from Riparo Dalmeri (Italy) on the basis of the study of strontium, carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of their remains, ancient DNA data and radiocarbon dating, reporting evidence of stable density of the studied population despite intensive hunting and consistent human presence, as well as evidence dietary differences between sexes in the studied population.^[116]
• Scribano et al. (2026) compare the postcranial anatomy of Libycosaurus bahri and Hexaprotodon garyam from the Miocene strata from Toros-Menalla (Chad), and establish an anatomical framework for the identification of postcranial remains of anthracotheres and hippopotamids.^[117]
• Radović et al. (2026) identify fossil material of a hippopotamus or a related taxon from the Grebci karst area (Bosnia and Herzegovina), representing the first confirmed finding of a member of the genus Hippopotamus in southeastern Europe outside Greece.^[118]
• Evidence of grazing-oriented diet in Hippopotamus pentlandi is presented by Martino et al. (2026).^[119]

• Evidence of impact of competition on diversification of North American and Eurasian carnivorans throughout the last 45 million years is presented by Porto & Quental (2026).^[123]
• A study on the ecology of cave bears from Galería 1 inside the Cueva de Guantes (Palencia, Spain) as indicated by isotopic composition of tooth enamel and bone collagen is published by Rodríguez-Franco et al. (2026).^[124]
• Evidence from the study of the pelvis and hindlimbs of Cyonasua, indicative of morphological similarities to bones of scansorial and terrestrial generalist carnivorans such as members of the genera Galictis, Meles and Arctictis, is presented by Tarquini et al. (2026).^[125]
• Lopatin et al. (2026) describe a molar of a member of the genus Mellivora from the Pleistocene strata from the Tham Hai Cave (Vietnam), representing the first known record of Mellivorinae in Southeast Asia.^[126]
• The first pinniped fossil from Taiwan (a femur of a member of the genus Zalophus from the Pleistocene strata from the bottom of the Taiwan Strait) is described by Sun et al. (2026).^[127]
• Kargopoulos et al. (2026) revise the composition of the ictitheriine hyaenid assemblage from the Miocene strata from the Venta del Moro (Spain), reporting possible evidence of presence of a second species in addition to Hyaenictitherium wongii.^[128]
• Iannucci et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of a hyena belonging to the genus Crocuta from the Pirro III site (Italy), and interpret this finding as indicative of presence of presence of Middle Pleistocene deposits at Pirro Nord.^[129]
• Evidence from the study of remains of the spotted hyena from the Pleistocene strata from the San Teodoro Cave (Sicily, Italy), indicative of slightly smaller body size of the spotted hyaenas from Sicily compared to their contemporaries from mainland Europe, is presented by Iurino et al. (2026).^[130]
• Salesa et al. (2026) study the functional anatomy of the hindlimbs of Promegantereon ogygia, and report evidence of morphological similarities to hindlimbs of the early felid Proailurus lemanensis.^[131]
• Haji-Sheikh, Haji-Sheikh & Naples (2026) present new cranial endocasts of Smilodon fatalis, and calculate that the range of brain endocast volumes of the studied species overlaps with the published range of brain volumes of modern lions.^[132]
• Pérez et al. (2026) identify fossil material of lynxes from Serpenteko Leze de Mezkiritz pit (Navarre, Spain) as including remains of both the Iberian lynx and the Eurasian lynx, providing possible evidence of overlap of ranges of both species in northern Iberia around the Pleistocene–Holocene transition.^[133]
• Lyubimov et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of Acinonyx pardinensis from the Muhkai 2 site (Dagestan, Russia), representing the first record of the species in the northeastern Caucasus.^[134]
• 26 purported subfossil tiger specimens from Japan are reinterpreted as cave lions by Sun et al. (2026), indicating that cave lions were the Panthera lineage that colonized Japan during the Pleistocene.^[135]

• Tissier & Smith (2026) reconstruct the early evolutionary history of Perissodactyla on the basis of a new phylogenetic study, recovering purported horse relatives Hyracotherium and Pliolophus as not belonging to Hippomorpha, and reporting evidence of rapid dispersals of Pliolophus and Cardiolophus in the northern continents around the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum.^[139]
• Uzunidis & Pandolfi (2026) report evidence of different dynamics of evolution of body mass of the narrow-nosed rhinoceros from Northern Europe and from the Mediterranean, as well as evidence of consistent mixed-feeding strategy in the studied species, with seasonal specialization toward either browsing or grazing in populations near the end of the temporal range of the species.^[140]
• Guðjónsdóttir et al. (2026) sequence a high-coverage genome from woolly rhinoceros tissue preserved within the stomach of a permafrost-preserved wolf from Tumat (Sakha Republic, Russia) and reconstruct the evolutionary history of the woolly rhinoceros on the basis of genomic data from this and two other Siberian individuals, finding no evidence of genomic erosion or a prolonged reduction in population size before the extinction of the species.^[141]
• Evidence from the study of morphology of petrosals and inner ears of fossil horses, indicating that the ear region is informative for the studied of phylogeny of odd-toed ungulates, is presented by Goodchild et al. (2026).^[142]
• Calderón et al. (2026) present new information on growth and development of teeth of Anchitherium, based on the study of their histology.^[143]
• Evidence indicating that occlusal enamel patterns in cheek teeth of Pleistocene equids from Alaska and Yukon cannot be used to reliably differentiate among tooth morphotypes is presented by Landry et al. (2026).^[144]

• A study on the preservation of different kinds of steroids in bones of Ashoroa laticosta, Behemotops katsuiei and an unidentified whale from the Oligocene Morawan Formation (Japan) is published by Umamaheswaran et al. (2026).^[145]
• Evidence from the study of tooth wear of Tremacyllus and Paedotherium, interpreted as indicating that pachyrukhine hegetotheriid notoungulates were mainly fruit-seed consumers rather than grazers, is presented by Armella & Croft (2026).^[146]
• A study on tooth wear of early Pleistocene ungulates from the Quibas site (Murcia, Spain), interpreted as indicative of a broad spectrum of feeding behaviours consistent with presence of mosaic environments including grasslands with wooded patches, is published by Ramírez-Pedraza, Agustí & Piñero (2026).^[147]
• Hussain et al. (2026) reconstruct the dietary presences of Pleistocene ungulates from the Pinjor Formation (Pakistan) on the basis of the study of their tooth wear, interpreted as indicating that the studied assemblage was dominated by grazers but also included browsers and mixed-feeders.^[148]

• Barasoain et al. (2026) describe fossil material of the big hairy armadillo from the Pleistocene strata of the La Paz Formation (Bolivia), representing the northernmost record of the species reported to date and the first known fossil evidence of presence of the species in high-altitude environments.^[149]

• New fossil material of Ocnotherium giganteum, including a nearly complete skull and two partial skeletons, is described from the Pleistocene strata from Brazil by Pujos et al. (2026), who recover O. giganteum as a mylodontine mylodontid.^[150]
• Harper et al. (2026) compare the morphology of the femoral neck in members of the genera Acratocnus, Megalocnus, Neocnus and Parocnus with those of extant xenarthrans, and reconstruct the locomotor behaviors of the studied extinct sloths, supporting the interpretation of Parocnus as primarily terrestrial.^[151]
• Feola et al. (2026) revise the fossil record of ground sloth footprints, and name new ichnotaxa Megatherichnidae, Falciformichnus and Megatherichnum agilis.^[152]

• Lopatin & Averianov (2026) report the discovery of a new eutherian petrosal bone from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) strata from the Khovoor locality (Mongolia), and interpret the two eutherian petrosal reported from the Khovoor locality to date as likely belonging to two distinct taxa, possibly Prokennalestes minor and Hovurlestes noyon.^[154]

• Watts et al. (2026) study the hindlimb morphology of Hadronomas puckridgi, and interpret its foot with a robust fifth digit as representing an intermediate stage in sthenurine evolution, preceding the appearance of astragalar specializations and loss of the fifth digit in later sthenurines.^[156]
• Evidence from the study of extant and extinct kangaroos, indicating that giant extinct kangaroos were mechanically capable of hopping but it may not have been their primary locomotor mode, is presented by Jones, Jones & Nudds (2026).^[157]

• Flannery et al. (2026) review the fossil record and evolutionary history of monotremes.^[158]

• Redescription and a study on the affinities of Buginbaatar transaltaiensis is published by Lopatin & Averianov (2026).^[161]

• Casanovas-Vilar et al. (2026) interpret the small mammal assemblage from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Spain) as consistent with a climate during the Miocene that was transitional between humid subtropical and Mediterranean types, finding no evidence of significant climate changes at the times of major faunal turnovers.^[162]
• Evidence linking late Miocene global cooling and northern Tibetan Plateau uplift to near-synchronous monsoon intensification and turnover of mammalian communities in Asia approximately 8.7 million years ago is presented by Han et al. (2026).^[163]
• Fossils of a diverse mammalian assemblage, interpreted as living in a wooded savanna environment shortly before the Messinian salinity crisis, are described from the Ouedhref Formation (Tunisia) by Ksila et al. (2026).^[164]
• Evidence from geochemical analyses of teeth of Blancan proboscideans and horses from the Rancho Jorge locality (Sonora, Mexico), indicating that the studied mammals lived in arid environment and had mixed diets based on C₃ and C₄ plants, is presented by Hernández-Sandoval et al. (2026).^[165]
• Zhang et al. (2026) report the discovery of new fossil material of Early Pleistocene mammals from the Yeka locality in the Shangri-La region (Yunnan, China), and interpret the composition of the studied assemblage as indicative of an environment including a forest mixed with a grassland landscape.^[166]
• Evidence from the study of the composition of Middle and Late Pleistocene small mammalian assemblages from the East European Plain, interpreted as consistent with presence of semi-arid and arid steppe habitats during the warmest and driest phases of the Pleistocene interglacials, is presented Markova, Puzachenko & Tsatskin (2026).^[167]
• Pym et al. (2026) reconstruct changes of late Pleistocene megafaunal populations from the Isthmus of Panama on the basis of the study of spores of coprophilous fungi from sediments of the La Yeguada lake, providing evidence of three distinct phases of decline and recovery coinciding with shifts in vegetation composition.^[168]
• Brito, Leal & Dantas (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of Pleistocene mammals from fossiliferous tank deposits in the municipalities of Mirante and Anagé (Bahia, Brazil), and interpret carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of the studied bones as consistent with overall generalist herbivorous diets of the studied mammals.^[169]
• Neves et al. (2026) study the composition of the Quaternary small mammal assemblage from the Araras Ravine at the Lajedo de Soledade site (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), providing evidence of similarities with extant faunas from open environments in the Caatinga and Cerrado.^[170]
• A study on the late Pleistocene/early Holocene fauna from the Pikimachay Cave (Peru) is published by Yataco et al. (2026), who interpret the studied site as likely to be a giant ground sloth burrow that was also used by carnivores and/or humans.^[171]
• Hullot et al. (2026) propose a standardized methodological framework for the study of enamel histology in fossil taxa, and apply it to the study of enamel histology and growth of molars of toxodont notoungulates Pleurostylodon modicus, Eurygenium pacegnum, Adinotherium ovinum and Nesodon imbricatus.^[172]
• Von Koenigswald (2026) reviews the morphological diversity of incisors and canines in extant and fossil mammals.^[173]
• Wilson et al. (2026) compare the wear of bilophodont teeth in xenungulates, pyrotheres, fossil and modern tapirs and in extant marsupials, and interpret their findings as suggestive of browsing feeding behaviors of xenungulates and fossil tapirs, as well as of variable diets of different members of Pyrotheria.^[174]
• Evidence of preservation of amino acids in tooth enamel of fossil proboscideans, equids and rhinocerotids dating back as far as 48 million years is presented by Gatti et al. (2026).^[175]
• Herrando-Pérez et al. (2026) present a dataset of ages obtained through radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry of bone collagen from remains of late Quaternary mammalian megafauna from Eurasia and North America.^[176]