A new methodological approach to the taphonomic study of paleontological and archaeological faunal assemblages: a preliminary case study from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

Domı́nguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Yravedra, José; Organista, Elia; Gidna, Agness; Fourvel, Jean‐Baptiste; Baquedano, Enrique

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2015.04.007

Cited by 63 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This species also possessed straight incisive arcades (Biknevicius, Van Valkenburgh & Walker, 1996) that could have produced the elongated V-shape marks (Haynes, 1983) on the posterior face. The important furrowing noticed at both ends of the bone is also consistent with this felid's damage-producing capacity (Martin, 2008(Martin, , 2016Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2015). The humerus of Glossotherium robustum housed in the MNHN has suffered less bone loss than the tibia.…”

Section: Identifying Potential Agents Of the Megamammal Tooth-marksmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Felids are represented by three hypercarnivorous species: Smilodon populator, Puma concolor and Panthera onca (Christiansen & Harris, 2006;Prevosti & Vizcaíno, 2006;Bocherens et al, 2016). While the first two had some bone marking capacity, the third would have been capable of inflicting more damage (Van Valkeburgh & Hertel, 1993;Marean & Ehrhardt, 1995;Antón et al, 2004;Martin, 2008Martin, , 2016Muñoz et al, 2008;Binder & Van Valkenburgh, 2010;Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2015;Kaufmann et al, 2016). Finally, several pack-hunting and/or scavenging canids were present at the time, including Theriodictis platensis (and its sister taxon "C".…”

Section: Manuscript To Be Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(ii) Intensity of carcass use is related to resource availability (Haynes, 1980(Haynes, , 1982Van Valkeburgh & Hertel, 1993;Delaney-Rivera et al, 2009), the size of the hunting pack (Van Valkenburgh et al, 2016), or multiple carnivore taxa involvement (Pobiner & Blumenschine, 2003;Delaney-Rivera et al, 2009). In general terms, large animal tissue is usually conserved for longer once dead (Blumenschine, 1987) and their bones have fewer marks than seen on bones of smaller species (Yravedra, Lagos & Bárcena, 2011;Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2015). As the easy-to-access meat is consumed, carnivores tend to eat the remaining parts of the carcass and inflict more significant damage to the bones (Binford, 1981;Haynes, 1982;Blumenschine, 1986; PeerJ reviewing PDF | (2016:11:14461:1:2:CHECK 6 Feb 2017)…”

Section: Megamammal Carcass Consumption During the Pleistocenementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Peer Review #2 of "Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region (v0.1)"

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pleistocene South American megafauna has traditionally attracted the interest of scientists and the popular media alike. However, ecological interactions between the species that inhabited these ecosystems, such as predator-prey relationships or interspecific competition, are poorly known. To this regard, carnivore marks imprinted on the fossil bones of megamammal remains are very useful for deciphering biological activity, and hence, potential interspecific relationships among taxa. In this article, we study historical fossil collections housed in different European and Argentinean museums that were excavated during the 19 th and early 20 th centuries in the Pampean region, Argentina, in order to detect carnivore marks on bones of megamammals and provide crucial information on the ecological relationships between South American taxa during the Pleistocene. Our results indicate that the long bones of megafauna from the Pampean region (e.g., the Mylodontidae and Toxodontidae families) exhibit carnivore marks. Furthermore, long bones of smaller species and indeterminate bones also present punctures, pits, scores and fractures. Members of the large-carnivore guild, such as ursids, canids and even felids, are recognised as the main agents that inflicted the marks. We hypothesize that the analysed carnivore marks represent the last stages of megaherbivore carcass exploitation, suggesting full consumption of these animals by the same or multiple taxa in a hunting and/or scavenging scenario. Moreover, our observations provide novel insights that help further our understanding of the palaeoecological relationships of these unique communities of megamammals.

show abstract

Section: Identifying Potential Agents Of the Megamammal Tooth-marksmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Manuscript To Be Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Megamammal Carcass Consumption During the Pleistocenementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Peer Review #2 of "Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region (v0.1)"

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are similar inconsistencies between what is understood about modern lions as taphonomic agents (21) and what is observed in the SH assemblage (10,11). The application of a taphotype approach, which identifies taxon-specific patterns of furrowing and tooth-marking (22), may help resolve this issue at some point.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hominin skeletal part abundances and claims of deliberate disposal of corpses in the Middle Pleistocene

Egeland

Domı́nguez-Rodrigo

Pickering

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humans are set apart from other organisms by the realization of their own mortality. Thus, determining the prehistoric emergence of this capacity is of significant interest to understanding the uniqueness of the human animal. Tracing that capacity chronologically is possible through archaeological investigations that focus on physical markers that reflect "mortality salience." Among these markers is the deliberate and culturally mediated disposal of corpses. Some Neandertal bone assemblages are among the earliest reasonable claims for the deliberate disposal of hominins, but even these are vigorously debated. More dramatic assertions center on the Middle Pleistocene sites of Sima de los Huesos (SH, Spain) and the Dinaledi Chamber (DC, South Africa), where the remains of multiple hominin individuals were found in deep caves, and under reported taphonomic circumstances that seem to discount the possibility that nonhominin actors and processes contributed to their formation. These claims, with significant implications for charting the evolution of the "human condition," deserve scrutiny. We test these assertions through machine-learning analyses of hominin skeletal part representation in the SH and DC assemblages. Our results indicate that nonanthropogenic agents and abiotic processes cannot yet be ruled out as significant contributors to the ultimate condition of both collections. This finding does not falsify hypotheses of deliberate disposal for the SH and DC corpses, but does indicate that the data also support partially or completely nonanthropogenic formational histories.

show abstract

“…In general terms, large animal tissue is usually conserved for longer once dead (Blumenschine, 1987) and their bones have fewer marks than seen on bones of smaller species (Yravedra, Lagos & Bárcena, 2011; Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2015). As the easy-to-access meat is consumed, carnivores tend to eat the remaining parts of the carcass and inflict more significant damage to the bones (Binford, 1981; Haynes, 1982; Blumenschine, 1986; Pobiner & Blumenschine, 2003; White & Diedrich, 2012; Haynes & Klimowicz, 2015; Sala & Arsuaga, in press).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region

Chichkoyan

Figueirido

Belinchón³

et al. 2017

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pleistocene South American megafauna has traditionally attracted the interest of scientists and the popular media alike. However, ecological interactions between the species that inhabited these ecosystems, such as predator-prey relationships or interspecific competition, are poorly known. To this regard, carnivore marks imprinted on the fossil bones of megamammal remains are very useful for deciphering biological activity and, hence, potential interspecific relationships among taxa. In this article, we study historical fossil collections housed in different European and Argentinean museums that were excavated during the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Pampean region, Argentina, in order to detect carnivore marks on bones of megamammals and provide crucial information on the ecological relationships between South American taxa during the Pleistocene. Our results indicate that the long bones of megafauna from the Pampean region (e.g., the Mylodontidae and Toxodontidae families) exhibit carnivore marks. Furthermore, long bones of medium-sized species and indeterminate bones also present punctures, pits, scores and fractures. Members of the large-carnivore guild, such as ursids, canids and even felids, are recognised as the main agents that inflicted the marks. We hypothesize that the analysed carnivore marks represent the last stages of megaherbivore carcass exploitation, suggesting full consumption of these animals by the same or multiple taxa in a hunting and/or scavenging scenario. Moreover, our observations provide novel insights that help further our understanding of the palaeoecological relationships of these unique communities of megamammals.Subjects Paleontology

show abstract

A new methodological approach to the taphonomic study of paleontological and archaeological faunal assemblages: a preliminary case study from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

Cited by 63 publications

References 28 publications

Peer Review #2 of "Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region (v0.1)"

Peer Review #2 of "Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region (v0.1)"

Hominin skeletal part abundances and claims of deliberate disposal of corpses in the Middle Pleistocene

Direct evidence of megamammal-carnivore interaction decoded from bone marks in historical fossil collections from the Pampean region

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About