Taphonomic study, with 3D methodology, of a Holocene barn owl concentration from Tenerife (Canary Islands)

CAROLINA CASTILLO RUIZ; JAVIER GONZÁLEZ-DIONIS; ELENA CADAVID-MELERO; PENÉLOPE CRUZADO CABALLERO

Congreso; 2nd Palaeontological Virtual Congress; 2020

The technique of photogrammetry is here applied to analyse the taphonomic processes undergoneby a concentration of microvertebrates in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). This concentrationwas formed in a paleobiological and geological context of active volcanic and oceanicislands. The site is located in the north of the island (Jover locality). Bone remains lie on a dunedeposit. The relative abundance of the different bones and teeth from the concentration wascompared to that in current pellets from barn owls, and it was ascertained that this concentrationwas produced by this animal. It was thought that, due to its situation, being at a hole in a wallnear a ravine, which is the typical habitat of the barn owl in the Canary Islands, and since therewas no organic matter, the concentration could be associated to gastric pellets. The radiometricdating performed on these bones gave a Holocene age. Currently, this fossil deposit is beingaffected by different biostratinomic agents (wind, rain, etc.), whose action has been analysedby comparing the 3D models of the substrate generated over several seasons (autumn, winter and spring). Among the effects observed, we can highlight the displacement and partial burial of some bone remains, and the accumulation of garbage of anthropic origin. This work contributes to the knowledge of the ancient diet of the barn owl and provided a test for the use of photogrammetry as a technique for analysing taphonomic processes in pellets concentrations.