Vertebrate taphonomy

Dispersed skeletal remains from pellets of Tyto alba found on a rocky surface in Sierra La Peregrina were analyzed. The pre depositional attributes correspond to those determined for the predator in fresh samples. The post-depositional alterations were underdeveloped or unexpressed, allowing recognize stages of developing the same respect fossil samples. These results correspond to a stage of taphonomic history between buried samples and complete and fresh pellets surface. The characteristics of the analyzed sample are a case that optimizes the analogies made in paleontological or archaeological sites based on actualistic studies of whole pellets.

Observation: Please note this is a major update with 11,468 entries (and corrections) from previous lists published online between July 2017 and January 2018.

This list include papers, conference papers, chapters, books, theses and dissertations - It does not include abstracts (but extended abstracts).

Please do not change the list or include any reference. Any inclusion (I'm sure there will be many) or correction, please forward me directly to the email
<peluna@usp.br>

I also ask that, whenever you quote this list, please give the credit as follows:
De Luna P. 2018. South America Vertebrate Paleontology Reference List (1774-2018) (1774-2018) - version 20180325
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23993.06248
at
http://www.mediafire.com/file/1r8ki2kg0atkstx/VPSA_20180818_PDF_final.pdf

enjoy and share!

Pedro De Luna, Ph.D. (aka Peter Moon)
Post-doc fellow at the Biosciences Institute, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo-SP Brazil

In the context of increased scrutiny of the methods in forensic sciences, it is essential to ensure that the approaches used in forensic taphonomy to measure decomposition and estimate the postmortem interval are underpinned by robust evidence-based data. Digital photographs are an important source of documentation in forensic taphonomic investigations but the suitability of the current approaches for photographs, rather than real-time remains, is poorly studied which can undermine accurate forensic conclusions. The present study aimed to investigate the suitability of 2D colour digital photographs for evaluating decomposition of exposed human analogues (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a tropical savanna environment (Hawaii), using two published scoring methods; Megyesi et al., 2005 and Keough et al., 2017. It was found that there were significant differences between the real-time and photograph decomposition scores when the Megyesi et al. method was used. However, the Keough et al. metho...

Microscopic analysis represents a powerful tool for understanding taphonomy. Our work, as in other studies, aims to identify the origin of different kinds of marks on bones. In this paper, we test the application of a HIROX Digital Microscope KH-7700. This microscope captures 3D images of the bone surface, thus bringing into focus the whole section of striations. This enables the direct observation of their shape from several points of view and the relatively rapid procurement of a variety of measurements (e.g. depth, breadth, angles). This technology has been applied to several butchery experiments, in which both stone and metal tools have been used to produce cut marks on skeletal elements. The morphometrical parameters presented in this paper enabled the correct identification of the different origins of experimental striations and were further tested on two archaeological sets of cut marks inflicted by both metal blades and flint flakes or tools. Therefore, the obtained experimental records constitute a useful database for archaeological remains. The morphometrical parameters developed and implemented in this study represent objective criteria for identifying the origin of cut marks which can be processed through statistical analysis.

Cecilio BARROSO RUIZ, Marie-Antoinette de LUMLEY, Anne-Marie MOIGNE, José Antonio RIQUELME CANTAL, Ana ECHASSOUX, Patricia VALENSI, Luis VERDÚ BERMEJO.
Los restos humanos recogidos en la cueva del Boquete de Zafarraya están todos fragmentados. Cincuenta y cinco restos óseos, fragmentos, constituyen veinticinco elementos anatómicos u osamentas diferentes. Han sido descubiertos en diferentes niveles arqueológicos ya sea en la entrado o en el fondo de la cavidad.
Entre las veinticinco osamentas, dieciséis están asociadas a una industria musteriense y a una fauna würmiense y tienen una morfología neandertalense. Corresponden a un mínimo de nueve individuos: dos niños y siete adultos.
Las otras nueve osamentas recogidas en los niveles de revuelto presentan una morfología comparable a la de los hombres modernos. Se corresponden a un mínimo de tres individuos, todos adultos.
Las osamentas humanas recogidas no provienen de sepulturas y las diferentes partes representadas son las siguientes:
NR = número de restos
NME = número mínimo de elementos anatómicos
NMIc = número mínimo de individuos de combinación
Para los Neandertalenses, el número mínimo de nueve individuos y máximo de quince han sido establecidos teniendo en cuenta diferentes tipos de huesos, su repartición estratigráfica y la edad de los individuos (Fig. 1 y 2).

Twenty-five Neogene–Quaternary whales hosted in Italian museum collections and their associated fauna were analysed for evidence of whale-fall community development in shallow-water settings. The degree of bone articulation, completeness of the skeleton and lithology of the embedding sediments were used to gather information on relative water depth, water energy, sedimentation rate and overall environmental predictability around the bones. Shark teeth and hard-shelled invertebrates with a necrophagous diet in close association with the bones were used as evidence of scavenging. Fossil bone bioerosion, microbially mediated cementation and other mollusc shells in the proximity of the remains informed on past biological activity around the bones. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that shallow-water whale falls differ from their deep-water counterparts. Taphonomic pathways are more variable on the shelf and whale carcasses may not go through all steps of the ecological succession as recognised in the deep sea. Whilst the mobile scavenger and the enrichment opportunistic stages are well represented, chemosynthetic taxa typical of the sulphophilic stage were recovered only in one instance. The presence of a generalist fauna among the suspension feeding bivalves and carnivorous gastropods, and the extreme rarity of chemosynthetic taxa, suggest that predatory pressure rules out whale-fall specialists from shallow shelf settings as in analogous cold seep and vent shallow-water communities.

Forensic investigations involving animal scavenging of human remains require a physical search of the scene and surrounding areas. However, there is currently no standard procedure in the U.K. for physical searches of scavenged human remains. The Winthrop and grid search methods used by police specialist searchers for scavenged remains were examined through the use of mock red fox (Vulpes vulpes) scatter scenes. Forty-two police specialist searchers from two different regions within the U.K. were divided between those briefed and not briefed with fox-typical scavenging information. Briefing searchers with scavenging information significantly affected the recovery of scattered bones (χ2 = 11.45, df = 1, p = 0.001). Searchers briefed with scavenging information were 2.05 times more likely to recover bones. Adaptions to search methods used by searchers were evident on a regional level, such that searchers more accustom to a peri-urban to rural region recovered a higher percentage of sc...

The main focus of this investigation is the lithic and bone artifacts from the Middle Pleistocene site of Bilzingsleben (Thuringia, Germany), especially their traces of use. As a result, many traces both on lithic artifacts and faunal remains can be presented. While the traces on the lithic assemblage allow comparative studies with other European Pleistocene sites, the osteological material offers an exceptional discovery. Microscopic investigations of three bone fragments indicate deliberate engravings. The data strengthen the thesis that Bilzingsleben shows clear evidence for a non-utilitarian activity of Homo erectus bilzingslebenensis (Vlcek 1978). These objects confirm the importance of the Bilzingsleben site for the questions of
early human culture.

The background for the comprehensive introduction is given by the site formation concept as formulated by Schiffer (1987). Microscopic traces also reflect the character of the site formation. Key questions include, whether Bilzingsleben displays scenarios of natural raw material accumulation. By screening sediments from the archaeological layers many naturally fractured flints and other northern gravels are found. These observations document a redeposition of terrace material from the late Elster glaciation. In addition, all sizes of local shell limestone occur. Following the discussion of Chapter I, the author concludes that fluvial transport of lithics and bone fragments is the main reason for their accumulation. In accordance with the results of the site formation discussion, it is consistent to focus the microscopic investigation only on sharp edged lithic artifacts. Concerning faunal remains, the main interest is set on the verification of cut marks. The analysis of selected bone fragments provides data for a discussion of the variety of taphonomic modifications. Beside a critical review of the lithic use wear research (Chapter III), several new perspectives and microscopic results are introduced (Chapter IV). Using the technical potential of SEM and Laser scan microscopy, new interpretations are given to the phenomena "polish" and gloss on northern flint. The secondary modification of the flint surface can be shown on archaeological flint tools from the Middle Paleolithic site of Lichtenberg (Lower Saxonia, Germany). While the Laser scan microscope allows the measurement of roughness, a quantitative description is also given for the abrasive effects along the edges of flint tools. Some new investigations were done with SEM on sickle gloss. Last of all, the potential of residue analysis on the example of birch tar as the most important prehistoric hafting material is discussed. Considering the evidence of hafting kit on the surface of one artifact from the site of Neumark-Nord (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany), the technical possibilities of its investigation are discussed.

Chapter IV presents not only the methodological basis for the investigation of artifacts from Bilzingsleben, but also brings new insight into the discussion of high power analysis in lithic use wear. The evaluation of lithic use wear in the Bilzingsleben inventory (Chapter V) shows clear evidence for correlations between the functionality of tools and their direction of motion. The database connects morphological characteristics of tools with micro-chipping and abrasive effects along the working edges. Surface polishing is in general overlaid by post-depositional modifications. The Bilzingsleben record displays a correlation between use wear traces of the working of hard organic materials and the accumulation of wooden remains. In addition to Bilzingsleben, the author conducts lithic use wear analyses on three additional Middle Paleolithic assemblages. In conclusion there are some common characteristics for the travertine embedded sites of Bilzingsleben, Tata and Vértesszölös on the one hand, and short time hunting bases like Neumark-Nord and Wallertheim on the other hand. All sites with SiO2 material display a typical edge angle spectrum of tool types in correlation with their main direction of motion.

The second theme of this investigation is bone objects and their surface modifications. A methodological discussion presents both observation of butchery activities and technical experiments to examine the variety of cut marks according to different kinds of lithic working edges. The focus is set on morphometric dimensions of cutting profiles, such as the wall angle and depth. Comparing the profiles of traces on some bone artifacts from Bilzingsleben, clear evidence of their cutting character can be shown. Beside the three artifacts with non-utilitarian cut marks, several bigger faunal remains document cutting traces including "ad hoc" working platforms. The few objects with anthropogenic modifications must be differentiated from the large number of scratches caused by fluvial redeposition or trampling. A third group of a few objects displays tooth marks. Their microscopic profile can be documented, in connection with typical morphological features. In addition there are many bones that display gnawing marks by carnivores. Several faunal remains with potential cut marks from Wallertheim (Rheinhessen, Germany) and Stránská skála (Moravia, Czech Republic) were investigated. Two bones from Wallertheim display cut marks, while the bovid sacrum from Stránská skála preserves no anthropogenic traces but does exhibit
tooth marks.

The investigation of the assemblage from Bilzingsleben helps to define the activities of Middle Pleistocene human beings at the site. In the context of the general site formation, it can be concluded that there is no evidence for a permanent settlement at the site. Instead, there is a high probability for one or more short-term occupations, when people some 400,000 years ago came and looked for specific raw materials, like wood, bones and maybe also sinew, antler and ivory. This answer can and must be sufficient from our today's point of view.

The "Tooth Draw Deposit" is an extensive, high diversity, multitaxic, dinosaur-rich, bone bed in the latest Cretaceous, Hell Creek Formation. The mapped portions of the deposit show a complex channel lag formed by a combination of both abiotic and biotic processes, at least 40 meters wide and well over 180 meters long. It is composed of interbedded sandstones and conglomerates representing fluvial, riverine deposition, a portion of which shows evidence of hyper-concentrated or debris flow rates. This lag has been sampled in different locations including the main "Tooth Draw Quarry (TD)", "Tooth Draw West (TDW)", "Tooth Draw South (TDS)" and "Becca's Tooth Draw (BTD)". To date, several thousand vertebrate specimens have been recovered over the last 15 years of work. These elements include both dinosaur and non-dinosaur remains, showing a diverse fauna of at least 21 dinosaur and over 48 vertebrate genera. Taphonomic markers indicate that there are at least two distinct communities represented by the deposit. One that represents a more localized fauna, caught up in the initial formation of the lag and another that represents reworked, hydraulically emplaced elements, likely accumulating from further upstream (parautochthonous). Many of the reworked elements show pre-depositional breaks, spiral fractures, bite marks, insect borings, and evidence of sub-aerial exposure. Tyrannosaurid teeth make up over 30% of the logged specimens, over 700 teeth, with more added each year. Dromaeosaurid teeth are also fairly common with over 180 specimens to date. Given the high numbers of shed theropod teeth, and the broken and bite marked bones, the most parsimonious conclusion is that portions of the Tooth Draw assemblage represent the remains of multiple seasons of feeding activity a short distance upstream along the ancient river system.

During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition at ~10.0 uncalibrated, or ~11.7 calibrated kya, the Americas were undoubtedly inhabited by humans from north to south ends. The groups living in that time had cultural and adaptive differences in terms of subsistence and technological pursuits. Particularly in the southern cone of South America, archaeological remains witnessed hunter -gatherers living at ~11.0-10.0 uncalibrated kya. They mostly used the so-called &quot;fishtail,&quot; or just &quot;Fell&quot; points, a widespread Paleo-American marker. Despite that, they exploited different faunal species, including extant and extinct fauna. At the Salto Department in the northwestern region of Uru-guay, on the Itaperibí Grande creek shore, archaeological remains of bones and stones were recovered. One of the most remarkable is a fragmented fossil femur of Lestodon armatus, a mega-mammal giant ground sloth. In its anterior face, this specimen shows diverse kinds of marks. However, no clear...

Leopard remains are rare in the European fossil record, probably a consequence of its solitary and elusive habits. Equi, dating back to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3), represents a rich and outstanding exception. Historical excavations (from 1911 to about 1917) at Equi allowed  more than 200 remains to be recovered of this large felid, a sample attesting the richest leopard-bearing site in the Pleistocene of Europe. The Equi site testifies the survival of a prosperous leopard population in northwestern Italy (the Apuan Alps area) during the pre Last Glacial Maximum Late Pleistocene. Almost all skeletal elements are represented in the collection (except ribs, and most of axial skeleton). At Equi, leopard is represented by both young and adult animals  and, up to now, it seems the first and unique Pleistocene evidence of cave usage for cubs raised in Europe.
This study focuses on the whole record of leopard from Equi, housed in the Museum of Natural History of Florence, and is aimed to analyze the taphonomical assemblage, to provide an anatomical description of the remains and the comparison to the European evidences. Moreover, we infer the paleoecology of leopards, and their relationships with other large carnivores from the Equi guild (Ursus spelaeus, Canis lupus, and Panthera leo spelaea). The site was probably an occasional large carnivores den, used over time by different large carnivore taxa, perhaps in different seasons or times (mutual avoiding).
Our morphological analysis allows us to recognize sexual dimorphic characters in the cranium, and a large morphological variability in body size.

Up to now, the ichnological vertebrate record from the Barremian Mirambel Formation (NE Spain) has remained completely unknown despite the fact that osteological findings have been reported in recent years. Here we provide an overview of 11 new dinosaur tracksites found during a fieldwork campaign in the year 2011. The majority of these tracksites (seven) preserve small-to medium-sized tridactyl tracks here assigned to indeterminate theropods. Only one footprint presents enough characters to classify it as Megalosauripus isp. Ornithopod tracks identified as Caririchnium isp. and Iguanodontipodidae indet. and sauropod tracks are recorded at two tracksites. The footprints are preserved in a variety of paleoenvironmental conditions and thus display different kinds of preservation (true tracks, shallow undertracks, natural casts and undertrack casts). The ichnological record from the Mirambel Formation seems to be theropod dominated. This is a clear discrepancy with the osteological record identified in this formation, which shows a predominance of ornithopod dinosaurs.

The archaeological evidence for foodstuffs is an underappreciated topic within the field of Classics. While syntheses and narratives exist for prehistoric periods, this project foregrounds evidence for foodstuffs within an examination of animals and social change in ancient Greece.

This study presents primary datasets of animal bones and teeth from three ancient Greek settlements framed in a larger narrative of changing food practices and urbanism in Greece: the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age village at Nichoria, the Archaic town at Azoria, and the urban center of Classical Athens. Classical Greek urbanism is accompanied by significant changes in the mobilization, processing, and distribution of animal resources within communities. While Homeric heroes might have feasted on heroic portions of meat, their Early Iron Age audience did not. By the Archaic period, corporate groups (cultic or civic in nature) provided meat to members in expressions of communal identity through feasting. There is a shift in how animals were processed related to the development of professional butchery. It is possible to trace the development of an urban cuisine – from textual sources, ceramic vessels, and organic remains – a meatier cuisine prepared in new ways within the Greek cityscape.

Food production strategies shift from a fairly homogenous set of strategies in the Late Bronze Age to a fairly heterogenous set of strategies in the first millennium B.C. It is perhaps possible to conceive this shift as an adaptation to changing climate around this time, with heterogenous strategies a better fit for various ecological niches. These heterogenous production strategies, wherein different settlements practiced different productive strategies, perhaps contributed to an increase in connectivity in the Mediterranean. A narrative foregrounding animal bones contextualizes our understanding of ancient Greek feasting, butchery, animal husbandry, sacrificial ritual, and refuse disposal within a historical study of social changes.

Abstract
This paper reviews the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and stable isotope analysis. On the basis of the chemical composition of the collagen and the relationships between the collagen and mineral phases, fish bone is more susceptible to biotic and abiotic degradation than mammalian bone and is therefore less likely to be recovered in archaeological deposits. The amino acid composition of fish bone differs from that of mammals (and other taxonomic groups), most notably with respect to hydroxyproline content. The C:N ratio of fish collagen, however, is very similar and slightly lower than mammalian collagen, and thus the traditional range of acceptable C:N ratios for collagen (2.9−3.6) should not be shifted or extended for fish on the basis of the amino acid composition of collagen. An extensive survey of published archaeological bone collagen C:N ratios demonstrates that fish collagen from archaeological contexts tends to have significantly higher C:N ratios than mammalian collagen. The elevated C:N ratios in fish bone collagen may be the result of abiotic degradation processes that occur within the bone after death, the presence of exogenous humic contaminants, or endogenous lipid contaminants."

El marco de interacción que se establece entre el Homo sapiens y otras especies, es uno de los nichos de estudio en los que podemos profundizar a raíz de los restos materiales. La capacidad que tenemos de crear nuestro propio mundo con base en lo que nos rodea, hace que los animales intercedan en ello, situándose los domésticos en un plano de relación privilegiado. Es aquí donde el caso del perro (Canis familiaris) resulta un campo paradigmático de estudio, que ha arrojado considerables resultados dentro de la investigación arqueológica mexicana. Sin embargo, al revisar este fenómeno en la región del Occidente de Mesoamérica, surge la necesidad de realizar una aproximación integradora, que no se limite a la recurrente visión postclasica del perro como animal de paso al más allá.
Con la perspectiva teórica que la Zooarqueología Social Interpretativa ofrece, desarrollamos una estrategia de investigación con base en estudios de caso, adscritos a tres subáreas distintas. En las Tierras Altas Orientales se emplaza el sitio de La Mina (Michoacán), concretamente en la orilla sur del Lago de Cuitzeo. Se trata de una plataforma habitacional de finales del Epiclásico (500/600–900 A.D.), con entierros en su base donde aparecen cachorros junto a humanos. El segundo caso lo constituye el sitio de Los Guachimontones (Jalisco), en el centro de las Tierras Altas Occidentales. Una urbe neurálgica para el Clásico temprano (100 B.C.–250 A.D.), en la que se documentan cánidos domésticos en diversos contextos hasta el Postclásico (900–1521 A.D.). Por último, en las Planicies Costeras estudiamos el sitio de la Loma Funeraria en la Terminal de Gas Natural Licuado Manzanillo y el área residencial y fúnebre de Chocohuistle en el Patio de Maniobras Tepalcates II. Una amplia muestra de perros y humanos compartiendo el mismo espacio, durante un intervalo temporal que va del Formativo terminal a inicios del Postclásico (300 B.C.-900 A.D.).
Las bases metodológicas utilizadas para analizar este universo de muestra cuentan con una orientación hermenéutica, en las que prima la obtención de datos inductivos y la colaboración en términos transdisciplinares. Sus fundamentos son el análisis de los restos óseos, la obtención de dataciones numéricas y la estimación de tendencias paleodietéticas, mediante un protocolo arqueométrico de lectura de elementos traza por XRF. De esta forma accedemos al análisis de la relación entre el perro, el humano y viceversa en sus propios términos, con el objetivo principal de reconocer el contexto social en el que se dio esta simbiosis. Aún con todo y que la mayoría de nuestros casos son potencialmente fúnebres los resultados reflejan un panorama heterogéneo, reafirmando la maleabilidad de formas que toma la relación que hemos mantenido con estos cuadrúpedos.

Tank deposits consist in the main source of information about the Paleoecology of Quaternary vertebrates of Brazil and paleoenvironments of the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR) during the Late Pleistocene-early Holocene. Taphonomic researches involving fossil assemblages of tank deposits performed recently have always local amplitude, not allowing the recognizing of regional processes/phenomena (e.g. climate, stratigraphic control, geomorphology) that can have driven the taphonomic histories of deposits of this sort. This Thesis aims the proposition of a taphonomic model for Quaternary vertebrates of tank deposits through a regional-scale taphonomic analysis of bearing-vertebrate tank deposits. Taphonomic aspects of five paleontological sites were evaluated: (i) Jirau (municipality of Itapipoca, CE); (ii) João Cativo (municipality of Itapipoca, CE); (iii) Campo Alegre (municipality of Taperoá, PB); (iv) Curimatãs (municipality of Pocinhos, PB); and (v) Lage Grande (municipality of Alagoinha, PE). All material analyzed here is housed at Paleovertebrates collections of Museu Nacional and of Paleontology of Museu de Pré-história de Itapipoca. Biostratinomic, fossildiagenetic and paleoecological features were recognized and interpreted. When disponible, sedimentological and stratigraphic features were also analyzed and interpreted. This analysis indicates taphonomic similarities among the tank deposits related mainly to biostratinomic processes, such as transport and weathering, however, also indicates differences related to the biogenic processes (e.g. scavenging, trampling and butchering). Paleoecological features are constant for nearly all tank deposits, such as the predominance of the ground sloth Eremotherium laurillardi and the paucity of small-sized vertebrates. In general, the fossil assemblages show different degrees of time-averaging, and some consist in “time-averaged samples” (Lage Grande) and others in “time-averaged samples” (Jirau, João Cativo Curimatãs and Campo Alegre). Furthermore, the comparative taphonomic analysis among different vertebrate groups of a same fossil
assemblage (megamammals and anurans) indicates the occurrence of spatial-mixing within a same tank deposit. The taphonomic model for tank deposits includes taphonomic features unleashed by physical processes and variations related to biogenic aspects. The integrative approach of the data gathered in this Thesis evidences that the probable taphonomic scenario for this model is a result from a paleoclimatic control on the genesis of fossiliferous deposits of tanks during the Late Pleistocene-early Holocene.

It is provided an overview of bone manufacture during the Republican period in Rome. Bone working played an important role within ancient production systems, endowing objects with multiple values, from mundane to symbolic purposes in everyday life and funerary practices. Bone elements, selected from butchery waste, undergo several processing stages until the final finishing. While finished objects shed light on typology and chronology, processing waste yields clues onto the working operations, tools and methods involved. As for the Republican period, little evidence occurs so far within the urban scenario, being mainly associated with funerary and votive contexts: objects only rarely hint at local manufactures, suggesting that products and workmanship were imported from Etruria during 6th – 5th centuries BC and from Greek cities since 4th ‐ 3rd BC. In this respect, preliminary evidence of bone processing collected from the excavation on the NE slope of the Palatine could supply new data on bone manufactures in Rome during the Early‐to‐Mid Republican periods.

In the last few decades, some progress has been made towards a synthesis of the data on the presence of early hominins in Europe and their dispersals across the continent in the Early and Middle Pleistocene. The sites that have been documented present various datasets, including hominin fossils, large and small mammal remains, and archeological artifacts. In this paper, the main focus is on sites where clear evidence exists of the processing of large mammals by hominins, in the form of cut marks, percussion marks, and others. In this regard, the taxonomic diversity of the mammals is considered alongside the type of hominin activity. All these sites serve as background for the recent discovery of the earliest (MIS 11 or 9), and indeed the only Polish, example of Middle Pleistocene human butchering activity (at the Bełchat ow site). The study revealed that the filleting of meat, as found in Bełchat ow, was also the means of meat processing employed on the oldest site of those with evidence of butchery, which is located in fact in the transition zone of Europe and Asia. This means that processing, even in its simplest forms, could have been a strong influence on adoption of meat eating among members of the Homo genus, as has been discussed recently. This emphasizes the significance of human choice, and seems to have occurred regardless of the geographical setting of human activity. This paper also presents a paleogeographic synthesis of butchering for the European Early and Middle Pleistocene and summarizes our current understanding of food processing by hominins, by scrutinizing the data on large mammals affected by such processes.

P. Valensi, H. de Lumley, M. Beden, L. Jourdan, F. Serre.
Chapite 13 - Sous la direction de Henry de LUMLEY "Palynologie - Anthracologie -Faunes -Mollusques Ecologie et Biogeomorphologie Paleoanthropologie -Empreinte de pied humain -Coprolithes"

The Valsequillo region in Puebla, Mexico, is an important fossil record that was formed in a context of flood plain of a paleolake within a huge volcanic area. During the 60´s and 70´s of the XX century, several archaeo-paleontological materials were recovered from the different localities, this evidence includes fauna remains from the Late Pleistocene (meso and megaherbivores) in physical association with lithic artifacts. Based on zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of the bone materials recovered during the XX century, the present work brings new information concerning the main formation processes implied in the accumulation of the diferent sites reported in the area. Some of these materials are interesting in terms of the discussion of the role of humans and carnivores in the formation of this fossiliferous deposit and in the controversial antiquity of the origin of the peopling of America.

Abstract—The Fruita Paleontological Research Natural Area (FPA) is remarkable for the abundance and diversity of
Upper Jurassic terrestrial fossils preserved within an area of approximately one square kilometer. Taking advantage of
the three-dimensional outcrop at the FPA, high-resolution event stratigraphic methodologies have been used to correlate
the crevasse splays (flood deposits) and to evaluate the interrelationships of individual fossil sites to each other and
to specific local environments. These include: (1) bank-controlled, gravelly, low-sinuosity river channels (ribbon
sandstones facies), (2) clay-dominated levees with well-sorted, sandstone, proximal crevasse-splay complexes best
developed at channel bends (levee facies), (3) drab, poorly-drained, alkaline flood plains with carbonate-cemented
crevasse splays and poorly-developed paleosols (drab flood-plain facies), (4) well-oxidized, well-drained flood plains
having well-developed paleosols with nodular carbonates (dark red flood-plain facies), (5) relatively permanent springfed
ponds or marshes locally overlying channel thalwegs (pond/marsh facies), and (6) ephemeral alkaline flood-plain
ponds characterized by barite nodules (alkaline pond facies). The distribution of active and abandoned channel-levee
complexes controlled depositional base level within the flood-plain environments. The facies defining these environments
also preserved distinctive suites of fossils: (1) ribbon sandstone facies preserve large dinosaurs, aquatic crocodilians,
turtles, unionid bivalves, and isolated logs, (2) levee facies preserve dinosaur bones and diverse trace fossils,
(3) drab flood-plain facies preserve evidence of dinosaur nests, diverse small terrestrial vertebrates, and diverse trace
fossils associated with crevasse splays, (4) dark red flood-plain facies do not preserve significant body fossils, but
preserve abundant root traces and other trace fossils, (5) pond/marsh facies preserve abundant carbonaceous plant
materials, logs, aquatic invertebrates, fish, and dinosaurs, and (6) alkaline pond facies preserve small delicate fossils
washed in from across the flood plain, including invertebrates, fish scales, and small terrestrial vertebrate fossils
(many with intact skeletons). The conceptual framework described herein forms a basis for further research on the
extraordinary natural laboratory preserved within the Morrison Formation at the FPA.

Squamate (lizard and snake) remains are abundant in the terminal Pleistocene Natufian archaeological sites of the Levant, raising the question of whether they constitute part of the broad-spectrum diet characteristic of this period. However, the role of squamates in Natufian diets remains unclear, as they are taphonomically under-studied. We conducted a series of experiments and actualistic observations that tested the impact of pre- and post-depositional processes on squamate vertebrae. We emphasized the multiple destruction processes that leave overlapping or altered marks on the bones, such as digestion marks that were modified by trampling. The resulting bone modification typology provides a tool for studying archaeological squamate remains. The experimental data were compared to the archaeological bone samples of the Natufian sequence of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel, 15,000–12,000 cal BP). The Natufian squamate samples deviate from all actualistic ones in their lesser e...

Oryctodromeus is a small bipedal dinosaur known from middle Cretaceous (95-100 My) Wayan Formation of Idaho and the Vaughn Member of the Blackleaf Formation of Montana. This taxon is hypothesized to be a burrowing dinosaur, which cared for its young within these burrows. This dissertation is a broad three-part treatment of this taxon, and excepting the introductory and concluding chapters this dissertation consists of three main chapters. Chapter two describes the osteology and phylogenetic relationships of this animal. Notable features of the Oryctodromeus skeleton described include a network of ossified tendons along the vertebral column that completely ensheath the tail, a long tail that forms more than half the length of the animal, and unusual femoral heads whose morphology may be related to burrowing behavior. The first full skeletal and skull reconstructions of this animal are presented. Chapter three investigates patterns of preservation of Oryctodromeus. Data suggests that preservation of single to multiple individuals of this taxon typically occurred in burrows that may be difficult to impossible to recognize in the fossil record. New examples of burrows from Oryctodromeus from the Vaughn and Wayan, as well as additional evidence for social behavior, are also described. A third chapter details the ontogenetic histology, growth rates and patterns of skeletal fusion based on seven limb elements (femora and tibiae) from different individuals. Based on the data in this dissertation, three growth stages can be recognized in Oryctodromeus based on bone histology. Juveniles are defined by more rapidly growing fibrolamellar tissue, sub-adults are defined by a cortex of inner fibrolamellar tissue and outer zonal parallel fibered tissue, and near-adult individuals have tissue similar to sub adults with dense avascular bone in the outermost cortex that signals a decrease in growth rate. LAG’s suggest a minimum age of six to seven years for more mature individuals. Patterns of neurocentral fusion in Oryctodromeus appear similar to those of crocodylians and some other small ornithischians, while the growth rates of Oryctodromeus appear slower than those of some dinosaurs, but similar to taxa such as Orodromeus and Tenontosaurus.