Multi-taxa referential of a modern great eagle owl (Bubo bubo) aerie

• Published in: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
• Main Authors: Lebreton, Loïc, Bailon, Salvador, Guillaud, Émilie, Testu, Agnès, Perrenoud, Christian
• Other Authors: Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique (HNHP), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; eurasian eagle-owl
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02568818; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102417

International audience Small vertebrates on archaeological sites are generally the result of predation from different accumulator agents. Depending on their hunting habits, these agents can bias palaeobiodiversity representation; therefore, before undertaking any palaeoenvironmental analysis, it is essential to identify them. Multi-taxa analysis allows better identification of the main accumulator, but the lack of modern referentials is, for now, significantly limiting. The main goal of this study was to set up a comparative tool for small vertebrate taxa and to complete the existing referentials. We analyzed a Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) accumulation – which provided the remains of thousands of rodents, lagomorphs, birds, amphibians, squamates and fishes – n order to study taxonomic composition, skeletal representation, digestion and fragmentation. We then compared these results with the available referentials for different taxa and discussed the use of different variables to better characterize such accumulations. We also present an original taphonomical method to study snakes vertebrae.