The role of small carnivores in the movement of bones: implications for the Pampas Archaeofaunal record, Argentina.

M. A. GUTIÉRREZ; C. A. KAUFMANN; M. E. GONZÁLEZ; N. A. SCHEIFLER; D. J. RAFUSE.; A. MASSIGOGE; M. C. ALVAREZ

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Springer-Verlag

Lugar: Berlin Heidelberg; Año: 2016 p. 257 - 276

Abstract The use of the same spaces and prey by humans andcarnivores often leads to the formation of complex faunalassemblages, in which the anatomical and taxonomic compositionresults from the combined action of these agents. Theaim of this paper is to evaluate bone movement based onactualistic research in the Pampas region of Argentina, withan emphasis on the action of carnivores as agents responsiblefor transport and accumulation of bone. Number of taxa, percentageof specimens affected by carnivores in each environmentalcontext, skeletal representation and carnivore modificationson European hare from the hills and the coast, andbone movement are discussed. The implications of ouractualistic results for the regional archaeological record arealso addressed. All of the sampled environments presentedevidence of carnivore modifications, with percentages between9 % (coast) and 40 % (hills). This information demonstratesthat this agent plays an active role in the formation ofmodern bone assemblages in the Pampas region and providesa frame of reference for exploring interpretations about thelow percentages of carnivore activity recorded in the archaeologicalrecord of the region. We argue that carnivores notonly modify an assemblage by incorporating or destroyingbones, but also by moving them to other locations.Consequently, carnivore effects on site formation in the Pampas region should not be underestimated when theirmarks are scarce.