The Taphonomy of Owl-Deposited Fish Remains and the Origin of the Homestead Cave Ichthyofauna

• Autores: Jack M. Broughton, Virginia I. Cannon, Shannon Arnold, Raymond J. Bogiatto, Kevin Dalton
• Localización: Journal of taphonomy, ISSN 1696-0815, Vol. 4, Nº. 2, 2006, págs. 69-95
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • We report a case of fish prey dominating the diet of modern barn owls (Tyto alba) and conduct a descriptive taphonomic analysis on the fish remains the owls deposited. From a sample of 14 barn owl pellets collected on the floor of a Nevada barn, we identified 3294 tui chub (Gila bicolor) bones. These remains, derived from very small-sized fish, comprised nearly 90% of the total pellet NISP and were characterized by relatively complete skeletal part representation, and minimal bone fragmentation and digestive surface damage. We use this data-set, along with tui chub samples deposited by other agents, to evaluate the origin of fish remains derived from late Quaternary deposits of Homestead Cave, located in the northern Bonneville Basin, Utah. Quantitative comparisons of skeletal part representation and digestive damage show that the Homestead Cave fish assemblage is statistically indistinguishable from the owl-derived collection but different from chub samples originating from coyote (Canis latrans) scat and human faeces. Qualitative evaluations of other agents also suggest an owl-based origin of the fauna. Our analysis calls attention to the important role that owls can play in depositing fish in caves and rockshelters and provides useful information to researchers interested in deciphering the taphonomic history of fish remains recovered from these settings around the world.