Rendimiento económico del cauquén común (Chloephaga picta, Fam.: Anatidae)

TIVOLI, ANGÉLICA MONTSERRAT; PÉREZ, ANALÍA F.

Arqueología de Patagonia: una mirada desde el último confín

Utopías

Lugar: Ushuaia; Año: 2009; p. 853 - 864

Studies of economic utility used in archaeology have been mainly focused on big mammals and their results have been applied to selective butchering and body parts transport (Binford 1978; Jones and Metcalfe 1988; Borrero 1990; Savelle and Friesen 1996; Madrigal 2004; De Nigris and Mengoni Goñalons 2005; and others). However, few studies have focused on birds up to date (Kooyman 1990, Giardina 2006).Taking into account that actualistic frames of reference are crucial to interpret the archaeological record, two objectives are addressed in the present paper. First, we estimate the economic potentials of the Upland Goose for hunter-gatherer-fishers consumption, and second we assess the relevance of these studies for animals with low individual return rate, analyzing their impact on zooarchaeological researches. In order to reach these objectives, two kind of analyses are carried out: a) the economic anatomy of Chloephaga picta, expressed by the Simplified Meat Utility Index [MUI] (Metcalfe and Jones 1988); b) calorimetric determinations, including energetic density (kcal/g) and energy content (total kcal) (Lomovasky et al. 2001).Finally, the results are discussed concerning to taxonomic representations in avifaunal assemblages from the Beagle Channel region and other coastal zones of Tierra del Fuego province (Southern South America).