Body size of Arctocephalus australis and its implications for osteometric studies of Nordpatagonian zooarchaeological remains, Argentina

BORELLA, FLORENCIA; L'HEUREUX, LORENA G.; VALES, DAMIÁN GUSTAVO; CRESPO, ENRIQUE ALBERTO

SAN RAFAEL

Congreso; 12a International Conference of ArchaeoZoology; 2014

MUSEO DE HISTORIA NATURAL DE SAN RAFAEL

Traditional osteometric studies based on modern collections with known age and sex of Arctocephalus australis (Aa) and Otaria flavescens (Of) are being employed with the aim of identifying species, sex and age classes represented in pinniped zooarchaeological assemblages in order to identify type of prey recovered from northern Patagonia record. Recently, variations in the skull size of adult Of were found as a consequence of density-dependence factors combined with the commercial exploitation of the marine ecosystem between 1970-2000 in northern and central Patagonia. On the other hand, a preliminary research based on a small sample size (n= 18) of adult male Aa from the Uruguayan coast suggested the absence of changes in the skull size of this species during the last five decades. The present exploratory study will assess for potential diachronic changes in the skull size of Aa in northern Patagonia using traditional osteometric techniques, as were found for Of. For this purpose, 11 craniometrical variables were measured from skulls of adult males of Aa (n= 34) collected between 1990-2012 in the same region. Although this study on skulls of Aa has both temporal and numerical limitations related to sampling, the data set will help to assess the relevance of using modern animals as analogues in osteometric analysis of fur seal assemblages recovered in archaeological sites in the area.