Taphonomy

FEEDING TRACES AND PALEOBIOLOGY OF A CRETACEOUS (CENOMANIAN) CROCODYLIFORM:

by Derek Main

Direct evidence of behavior in extinct tetrapods is rare. However, these traces can inform a variety of research... more Direct evidence of behavior in extinct tetrapods is rare. However, these traces can inform a variety of research questions touching on paleoecology, taphonomy, and functional morphology. Here we present fossil specimens from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Woodbine Formation that exhibit tooth marks consistent with predation by a new taxon of large crocodyliform currently under study. Collected from the recently discovered Arlington Archosaur Site, the marked bones were largely found in a single peat horizon and in close association with the new crocodyliform. The feeding traces themselves consist of pits, scores, and punctures that occur on multiple turtle shell fragments and two dinosaur limb bones. The pattern of marks and the breakage on turtle carapaces and plastra suggest that they were crushed, whereas the marks on dinosaur bones indicate possible dismemberment. These interpretations and the association with a crocodyliform trace maker are based on observations of feeding behaviors and accompanying, diagnostic bite mark patterns made by extant crocodylians. The morphology of the new crocodyliform taxon and the distribution of bite marks indicates it was likely a generalist: an opportunistic predator that fed on a variety of prey, including turtles and dinosaurs. Given this evidence and the paleoenvironmental setting, the ecology of the large crocodyliform from the Woodbine Formation was likely most similar to that of fossil and living crocodylians inhabiting delta-plain environments. Not only were these crocodyliforms likely significant predators in the Woodbine paleoecosystem, they also played an important taphonomic role in the assembly of vertebrate remains from the surrounding community.

Deconstructing Olduvai: a taphonomic study of the Bed I sites

by Charles Egeland

The use of bone surface modifications to model hominid lifeways during the Oldowan

by Charles Egeland

Published in Stone Tools and Fossil Bones: Debates in the Archaeology of Human Origins (M. Dominguez-Rodrigo, Ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 80-114.

Zooarchaeological Analysis of the Indigenous Fishery at the Huu7ii Big House and Back Terrace, Huu-ay-aht Territory, Southwestern Vancouver Island

by Iain McKechnie

(2012) Zooarchaeological Analysis of the Indigenous Fishery at the Huu7ii Big House and Back Terrace, Huu-ay-aht Territory, Southwestern Vancouver Island. In Huu7ii: Household Archaeology at a Nuu-chah-nulth Village Site in Barkley Sound, by Alan D. McMillan and Denis E. St. Claire. Archaeology Press, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC.

This paper describes how fish overwhelmingly dominates the animal bone assemblage from the examined column sample... more This paper describes how fish overwhelmingly dominates the animal bone assemblage from the examined column sample deposits at the Huu7ii village site, the named ancestral village of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation. Fish represent 99.9% of all identified bone specimens and are present in every examined litre of sediment indicating the importance of fish in the everyday life of site occupants. The bone assemblage is numerically dominated by Pacific herring, which vastly outnumbers the next most abundant fish: anchovy, salmon, hake, greenling, dogfish, and rockfish as well as two-dozen other fish taxa. I conduct a series of descriptive, quantitative, and graphical analyses that seek to interpret resource harvesting practices at the two examined portions of the site: a very large house (17x35m) dating to the late-Holocene (ca. 1,500-400 yr BP) and mid-Holocene midden deposits recovered on a raised beach terrace (ca. 5,000-3,000 yr BP).

Introduction to Part VI: Forensic taphonomy

by Nicholas Passalacqua

In: Dirkmaat DC (editor). Developments in Forensic Anthropology. Blackwell Publishing:473-476.

Taphonomy and zooarchaeology of a high-altitude Upper Pleistocene faunal sequence from Hovk-1 Cave, Armenia

by Boris Gasparyan

by Guy Bar-Oz, Lior Weissbrod, Boris Gasparian, Samvel Nahapetyan, Keith Wilkinson, Ron Pinhasi

Journal of Archaeological Science 39 (2012) 2452e2463

El registro de hienas y otros carnívoros en la Cueva de A Valiña (Lugo, España).

by Carlos Fernández-Rodríguez

C. Fernández (2010). “El registro de hienas y otros carnívoros en la Cueva de A Valiña (Lugo, España)”. Actas de la 1ª Reunión de Científicos sobre cubiles de hiena (y otros grandes carnívoros) en los yacimientos arqueológicos de la Península Ibérica. Zona Arqueológica (Museo Arqueológico Regional, Alcalá de Henares), 13: 310-319.

Marcas de carnívoros en restos óseos del Paleolítico superior en Galicia.

by Carlos Fernández-Rodríguez

C. Fernández (1997). “Marcas de carnívoros en restos óseos del Paleolítico superior en Galicia”. Férvedes, 4: 109-113.

O’Regan, H. J. and Reynolds, S. C. (2009). An ecological reassessment of the southern African carnivore guild: a case study from Member 4, Sterkfontein, South Africa Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 572:212-222.

by Sally Reynolds

The southern African late Pliocene to early Pleistocene carnivore guild was much larger than that of the present day.... more The southern African late Pliocene to early Pleistocene carnivore guild was much larger than that of the present day. Understanding how this guild may have functioned is important for the reconstruction of carnivore-hominin interactions and to assess the potential for hominin scavenging in southern Africa. In modern ecosystems, the coexistence of larger carnivore species is constrained by several factors, which include high levels of interspecific competition. Here, the composition of the fossil carnivore guild is examined using Sterkfontein Member 4 (Cradle of Humankind, South Africa) as a case study. Sterkfontein
Member 4 contains 10 larger carnivore taxa (body mass > 21.5 kg) and may also contain two Australopithecus species. Two possible causes of higher numbers of carnivore species in the South African fossil record are initially considered. First, that there is a bias introduced through comparing assemblages of
differing sizes; second, carnivore biodiversity may have been artificially inflated due to previous taxonomic splitting of carnivore species, such as Crocuta. These possibilities are rejected and modern ecological data are used to construct a simple spatial model to determine how many carnivores could have co-existed. Although the resulting model indicates that the carnivore taxa present in Member 4 could have co-occurred, modern ecological studies indicate that it is highly unlikely that they would have co-existed simultaneously. Considering the complex depositional processes that operate in the southern African cave sites, it is proposed that the larger carnivore guild observed in the Sterkfontein Member 4 fossil assemblage is a palimpsest created by time-averaging. In light of this, we suggest that sites which
have a large number of carnivore taxa should be examined for time-averaging, while those sites which have relatively few species may be a better reflection of carnivore communities.

Environmental Stability During the Pleistocene- Holocene Transition in Northwestern Patagonia? The Small Mammals of Cueva Huenul 1 as Evidence

by Ramiro Barberena

F. FERNANDEZ, U. PARDIÑAS, P. TETA, R. BARBERENA
(Curr. Res, Pleist. 2011)

Paleoenvironmental studies in northwestern Patagonia are mostly focused on forest and ecotone forest-steppe areas. The... more Paleoenvironmental studies in northwestern Patagonia are mostly focused on forest and ecotone forest-steppe areas. The obtained data indicate dry and cold conditions for the late-Pleistocene/Holocene transition. For the steppic and hilly ranges east of the Andes in northern Neuquén province there are no studied paleoclimatic records, despite the potential interest of this region, because it has the highest elevations in Patagonia (Domuyo system) and is situated near the western limit of the South American Arid Diagonal. Recent excavations at Cueva Huenul 1 (CH1; 36° 56′ 45″ S, 69° 47′ 32″ W, 1008 m, Neuquén province, Argentina, Figure 1) yielded a rich sequence spanning the late-Pleistocene/early-Holocene, and reaching the late Holocene. In this note we briefly address the taphonomy and paleoenvironmental significance of the micromammal remains
obtained in CH1.

Botanische samenstelling van mestkoeken en ashopen

by Mans Schepers

Off-site evidence for ancient cereal fields and
agricultural practices can be inferred from the
botanical... more Off-site evidence for ancient cereal fields and
agricultural practices can be inferred from the
botanical remains present in dung cakes and ash
layers. To test this model, the botanical composition
of four recent dung cakes and two samples
from recent ash heaps was analysed. Although
most of the plant remains could be interpreted as
originating from a cereal field, implying that they
could indeed be used for the reconstruction of
the former vegetation and of agricultural practices,
some plant remains were indicative of either
contamination or the use of alternative sources
of fuel. When threshing remains of cereals were
mixed up with those from other crops, such as
Sorghum and Sesame, their interpretation is especially
complicated.

Bone modification and destruction patterns of leporid carcasses by Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi): An experimental study

by María Clara Alvarez

Broderick, L.G., 2012. Ritualisation (or The Four Fully-Articulated Ungulates of The Apocalypse). In Pluskowski, A. ed. The Ritual Killing and Burial of Animals: European Perspectives. Oxford: Oxbow Books. pp. 22-32

by Lee Broderick

Fish Bone Chemistry and Ultrastructure: Implications for Taphonomy and Stable Isotope Analysis

by Paul Szpak

Szpak, P. 2011. Fish Bone Chemistry and Ultrastructure: Implications for Taphonomy and Stable Isotope Analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 38, 3358-3372.

Abstract
This paper reviews the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and... more Abstract
This paper reviews the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and stable isotope analysis. On the basis of the chemical composition of the collagen and the relationships between the collagen and mineral phases, fish bone is more susceptible to biotic and abiotic degradation than mammalian bone and is therefore less likely to be recovered in archaeological deposits. The amino acid composition of fish bone differs from that of mammals (and other taxonomic groups), most notably with respect to hydroxyproline content. The C:N ratio of fish collagen, however, is very similar and slightly lower than mammalian collagen, and thus the traditional range of acceptable C:N ratios for collagen (2.9−3.6) should not be shifted or extended for fish on the basis of the amino acid composition of collagen. An extensive survey of published archaeological bone collagen C:N ratios demonstrates that fish collagen from archaeological contexts tends to have significantly higher C:N ratios than mammalian collagen. The elevated C:N ratios in fish bone collagen may be the result of abiotic degradation processes that occur within the bone after death, the presence of exogenous humic contaminants, or endogenous lipid contaminants.

Beyond Cautionary Tales: A Multivariate Taphonomic Approach for Resolving Equifinality in Zooarchaeological Studies

by Natalie Munro

Bar-Oz, G. and N.D. Munro. 2004. Beyond cautionary tales: a multivariate taphonomic approach for resolving equifinality in zooarchaeological studies. Journal of Taphonomy 2(4):201-220.

Zooarchaeological measures of hunting pressure and occupation intensity in the Natufian: implications for agricultural origins

by Natalie Munro

Munro, N.D. 2004.  Zooarchaeological measures of hunting pressure and occupation intensity in the Natufian: implications for agricultural origins. Current Anthropology 45:S5-S33.

Gazelle bone fat processing in the Levantine Epipalaeolithic

by Natalie Munro

Munro, N.D. and G. Bar-Oz. 2005. Gazelle bone fat processing in the Levantine Epipalaeolithic. Journal of Archaeological Science 32: 223-239.

Carcass damage and digested bone from mountain lions (Felis concolor): Implications for carcass persistence on landscapes as a function of prey age

by Natalie Munro

Stiner, M.C., N.D. Munro and M. Sanz. 2011.  Carcass damage and digested bone from mountain lions (Felis concolor): Implications for carcass persistence on landscapes as a function of prey age.  Journal of Archaeological Science 39: 896-907.

The Rio Secco Cave and the North Adriatic region, a key context for investigating the Neanderthal demise

by Nicola Nannini

Creación de un referente experimental para el estudio de las alteraciones causadas por dientes humanos sobre huesos de conejo

by Juan Vicente Morales Pérez

La investigación experimental aplicada a la arqueología (2011): 343-349.
A. Morgado, J. Baena y D. García (eds.).
Actas del Segundo Congreso Internacional de Arqueología experimental. Ronda, Málaga. Noviembre 2008.
Co-authored with: A. Sanchis Serra and M. Pérez Ripoll.