The zooarchaeology and isotopic ecology of the Bahamian hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami): Evidence for pre-Columbian anthropogenic management

Abstract

Bahamian hutias (Geocapromys ingrahami) are the only endemic terrestrial mammal in The Bahamas and are currently classified as a vulnerable species. Drawing on zooarchaeological and new geochemical datasets, this study investigates human management of Bahamian hutias as cultural practice at indigenous Lucayan settlements in The Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands. In order to determine how hutia diet and distribution together were influenced by Lucayan groups we conducted isotopic analysis on native hutia bone and tooth enamel recovered at the Major’s Landing site on Crooked Island in The Bahamas and introduced hutias from the Palmetto Junction site on Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Results indicate that some hutias consumed 13C-enriched foods that were either provisioned or available for opportunistic consumption. Strontium isotope ratios for hutia tooth enamel show a narrow range consistent with local origin for all of the archaeological specimens. In contrast, analysis of strontium isotopes in modern Bahamian hutia teeth from animals relocated to Florida from The Bahamas demonstrates that these animals rapidly lost their Bahamian signature and adopted a Florida signature. Therefore, strontium should be used cautiously for determining hutia provenance, particularly for individuals that were translocated between islands. Overall, our findings suggest that ancient human presence did not always result in hutia vulnerability and that the impact to hutia populations was variable across pre-Columbian indigenous settlements.

7,000 years of turnover: historical contingency and human niche construction shape the Caribbean’s Anthropocene biota

“…It is unclear whether Indigenous populations then translocated Iguana delicatissima as they moved throughout the Lesser Antilles, and if so, which island represents the original source population. Similar intra-Caribbean translocations occurred for endemic rodents of the Greater Antilles (Figure 1 [39]).…”

“…Vertebrate translocations began in the Archaic: the Puerto Rican hutia, † Isolobodon portoricensis , is mistakenly named, as it was cryptically introduced from Hispaniola into Puerto Rico as early as >3000 years ago, followed by a subsequent introduction to St. John (Virgin Islands) several hundred years later [42],[43]. Isotopic and radiocarbon evidence also corroborates the multiple intra-Bahamas translocations and Ceramic age use of the Bahamian hutia, Geocapromys ingrahami [39], which may have contributed to its persistence into the present day by creating metapopulations to buffer the effects of overhunting and hurricanes (Figure 1).…”

Ancient DNA and high-resolution chronometry reveal a long-term human role in the historical diversity and biogeography of the Bahamian hutia

“…An ongoing study of a large hutia assemblage from the Palmetto Junction archaeological site on Providenciales (Caicos Bank) indicates that Bahamian hutias were human-translocated to the TCI by at least the early 15th century ( Supplementary Table S1; see also 43 ). The archaeological specimens from Palmetto Junction are larger than modern specimens from East Plana Cay; isotopic data from these specimens suggest that some individuals consumed 13 C-enriched foods that were available through human supplementation or opportunistic foraging; this is a finding shared with archaeological specimens from Crooked Island (e.g., Major's Landing site) 42 . Taken together, it seems likely that the Lucayans were actively managing some Bahamian hutia populations by AD 1400 or earlier.…”

“…Stars indicate the successful sampling localities for the ancient DNA portion of this study. The earliest archaeological site that shows hutia exploitation is from Major's Landing on Crooked Island 42 , which is under the star on Crooked Island. The genetic break found in our data is indicated by the black bar between Long Island and Crooked and Acklins Islands (see Results).…”

“…Early human settlements have been documented on Eleuthera, New Providence, Abaco, and San Salvador 40,41 . Zooarchaeological, morphometric, and isotopic studies of archaeological hutia specimens demonstrate that Lucayans exploited hutias for food and had significant impact on some hutia populations in terms of their geographic distribution, diet, and possibly body size 42 . Bahamian hutia bones have been found from archaeological sites on eight islands spanning the Little Bahama Bank (LBB; Abaco + Grand Bahama), GBB, Crooked-Acklins Bank, and the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) 43 (Fig.…”