A paleoburrow is an underground shelter ( tunnel,

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

, lair, etc.) excavated by extinct paleo-vertebrate

megafauna In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας ''megas'' "large" and New Latin ''fauna'' "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant. The most common threshold ...

(i.e., giant mammals, such as ground sloths) that lived in the prehistoric era. A crotovina is a paleoburrow filled with sediments (sands, clays, etc.) that have been deposited over the centuries through rainfall and accumulated due to the porosity of the terrain. Generally, fossils found in crotovinas exhibit large proportions similar to known megafauna of their geological period. In Brazil, hundreds of paleontological sites characterized as paleoburrows exist, such as in

Ponta do Abunã Ponta may refer to: Ponta, Portuguese for "point" or promontory, is a part of many Portuguese and Brazilian toponyms: * Ponta, Texas * Ponta Grossa, a city in Brazil * Ponta Pelada Airport, an airport in Brazil * Ponta Porã International Airport, ...

, in

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, ...

, within the Amazon region, in the Serra do Gandarela National Park, in Minas Gerais, in

Monte Bonito Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

, the southern

Rio Grande do Sul}Rio Grande Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, ...

, as well as the

Toca do Tatu TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the T ...

in Santa Catarina. After the extinction of the megafauna about 10,000 years ago, some paleoburrows were reused by indigenous human populations. Recent searches indicate that these structures were used as temporary shelters as well as for ritual purposes. In the interior of some paleoburrows, researchers discovered stone tools, ceramic artifacts, human burials, and inscriptions engraved in the walls. Paleoburrows are classified as paleontological sites; however, if the remains of ancient populations are also found, the site may become the object of research for both paleontologists and archaeologists.

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Further reading