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Taphonomy of Guanaco Bones in Tierra del Fuego

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Luis Alberto Borrero
Luis Alberto Borrero*
Affiliation:
CONICET, B. Mitre 1970, Piso 5, 1039 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Abstract

Guanaco carcasses are deposited in great quantities in Cabo San Pablo, Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), as a result of winter stress. Taphonomic studies indicate that the gnawing action of foxes on guanaco (Lama guanicoe) carcasses produces only very tenuous marks on the bones. Lack of sustained interest in the carcasses by carnivores results in slow disarticulation. The articulated and disarticulated bones are exposed to heavy trampling by guanacos, a process that produces vertical migration of small/dense bones and fracturing of the most weathered bones. An understanding of this ongoing process is important for local archaeology, since modern bones are migrating into archaeological contexts. A regional approach to taphonomy is the most appropriate instrument to solve this and other related problems.

Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , November 1990 , pp. 361 - 371
Copyright
University of Washington

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