Naturalistic Observations on the Disarticulation of False Killer Whales (Pseudorca crassidens) Carcasses: Fifteen Years After

BORELLA, F., BORRERO, L.,

Journal of Taphonomy

Teruel

Lugar: Teruel; Año: 2017 vol. 15 p. 45 - 58

1696-0815

A mass stranding of 181 false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) occurred in March 1989 on bothsides of the Strait of Magellan. Fifteen years later, taphonomic observations were made on thisconcentration and the results are presented in this article. In the coast of Bahía Lomas, Tierra del Fuego(Chile), frequencies of articulated elements were quantified following Hill (1979a, 1979b), and a rankingof natural bone disarticulation for whales was proposed. This ranking was made on the basis of skeletonsfrom one species but, given the morphological similarities of Cetaceae, it is possible to suggest that itapplies to similarly-sized Odontoceti. Together with other useful taphonomic criteria (weathering andbone preservation), these results can be used to disentangle the origin of whale bone accumulations atcoastal archaeological sites in different parts of the world and to estimate the time of burial ofzooarchaeological assemblages. In this way, the role of whales in human diet can be discussed in greaterdetail.