Taphonomy and dispersion of bones scavenged by New World vultures and caracaras in Northwestern Patagonia: Implications for the formation of archaeological sites

BALLEJO, FERNANDO; FERNANDEZ, FERNANDO JULIAN; MONTALVO, CLAUDIA INES; DE SANTIS, LUCIANO JOSÉ MARÍA

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Springer

Año: 2015

Scavenger birds can feed on large- to small-sizedvertebrates and may contribute in the formation of archaeologicalsites. To evaluate the modifications and dispersal patternsof bones produced by New World vulture and caracarafrom Northwestern Patagonia, samples of adult sheep, youngsheep, and hare carcasses were offered and subsequently analyzed.New World vultures and caracaras quickly fed on thesamples. Taphonomic and bone dispersal patterns suggest twotypes of accumulations: (1) open-air sites with large andmedium-sized vertebrates represented by complete, fractured,scratched, notched, and punctured elements and (2) rock shelteror cave sites dominated by small vertebrates represented bybroken, corroded, fractured, and digested elements