Historical ecology of pinnipeds of the northern coast of the San Jorge Gulf (central Patagonia, Argentina) since the Late-Holocene ...

• Main Authors: Svoboda, Ariadna, Vales, Damián G
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: SAGE Journals 2024
• Subjects: Geography; History; Argentina; Patagonia; Elephant Seal; Mirounga leonina; Southern Elephant Seal
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25384/sage.c.7084888; https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Historical_ecology_of_pinnipeds_of_the_northern_coast_of_the_San_Jorge_Gulf_central_Patagonia_Argentina_since_the_Late-Holocene/7084888

The northern coast of the San Jorge Gulf, Atlantic Patagonia, is recognised as a marine biodiversity hot spot and is designated as a priority conservation area. Among marine mammals, three species of pinnipeds inhabit the region. While South American sea lions ( Otaria flavescens ) have a higher abundance and a larger number of colonies than South American fur seals ( Arctocephalus australis ), a few individuals of the Southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ) reside in the region. Nevertheless, little is known about the abundance and distribution of these pinnipeds before the 18th century, when various extractive activities became widespread, including the unregulated exploitation of furs and oil. This study aims to examine whether the distribution and relative abundance of ancient pinnipeds differ from present-day populations. To achieve this, we conducted inter-specific identification of pinniped bone remains coming from archaeological assemblages dated from 6000 to 600 14 C years BP and reviewed ...