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Taphonomic analysis of large mammals recovered from the Pleistocene Rancho La Brea tar seeps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

Lillian M. Spencer ,
Blaire Van Valkenburgh  and
John M. Harris
Lillian M. Spencer
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Post Office Box 173364, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, Colorado 80217–3364. E-mail: [email protected]
Blaire Van Valkenburgh
Affiliation:
Department of Organismic Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, 621 Young Drive, South, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095–1606
John M. Harris
Affiliation:
George C. Page Museum, Los Angeles, California 90036
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Abstract

The asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea are well known for preserving a prolific and diverse Late Pleistocene fauna. However, little taphonomic research has been done on these collections. To better understand the formation of this impressive assemblage, a taphonomic study of the bones of the large mammals from one asphalt deposit, Pit 91, was carried out, and results are presented here. The predominance of carnivore specimens in the Rancho La Brea deposits has long been explained by a scenario in which a prey animal was trapped in asphalt and attracted large numbers of carnivores who became trapped in turn. Hypotheses generated from this scenario were tested by collecting taphonomic data on over 18,000 specimens. Weathering data indicate that elements were deposited fairly rapidly. However, patterns of skeletal part representation for the seven most common species demonstrate that complete skeletons are not present. Water transport is ruled out as the primary process responsible for removing skeletal elements based on abrasion data. Instead, the feeding activity of carnivores (ravaging) appears to have been an important factor in the formation of the assemblage.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , Fall 2003 , pp. 561 - 575
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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