Beringia Centre Science Talks – Scott Cocker

In this #BCST, we’re speaking with PhD candidate Scott Cocker from University of Alberta about his work with ancient mammals in the Yukon.

The stature and enigmatic nature of the woolly mammoth, Yukon horse, and steppe bison have long held the attention of scientists and the public alike. However, there has been a lack of research dedicated to the small mammal communities that scurried around the feet of these giant. Arctic ground squirrels, voles, and lemmings are amongst the most commonly retrieved remains from these fossil archives, but birds and larger animals also appear in the record. This talk will focus on the small mammals recovered from the fossil middens of arctic ground squirrels spanning the last 100,000 years in Yukon Territory and the techniques we are using to reconstruct their life histories and environments.