A taphonomic investigation of small vertebrate accumulations produced by the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) and its implications for fossil studies.

• Published in: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
• Main Authors: Royer, Aurélien, Montuire, Sophie, Gilg, Olivier, Laroulandie, Véronique
• Other Authors: Biogéosciences UMR 6282 (BGS), Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC), De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Work supported by the French Polar Institute-IPEV (“Interactions 1036” program).
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: Paleoenvironmental reconstruction; Taphonomy; Modern owl pellets; Predation; Digestion; Lemming; Birds; Palaeogeography; Palaeoclimatology; Palaeoecology; [SDU.STU.PG]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Paleontology; Arctic; Bubo scandiacus; Greenland; snowy owl
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01912077; https://hal.science/hal-01912077/document; https://hal.science/hal-01912077/file/2019%20-%20Royer%20et%20al.%20small%20vertebrate%20snowy%20owl%20-%20accepted%20manuscrit.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.10.018

17 pages International audience The action of predators, such as diurnal raptors, owls, mammals or humans, influence the nature of smallvertebrate fossil assemblages but currently their taphonomic features are still poorly understood. In this study,we investigate the taphonomic signature of the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) based on an analysis of pelletscollected at breeding sites located in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. This taxon is widely distributedthrough the North Hemisphere and was an important predator in Pleistocene times. Taphonomic parameterssuggest that, contrary to previous assumptions, B. scandiacus produces, on average, moderate digestion of incisors,molars and post-cranial elements, and should be classed as a Category 3 or Category 3/4 predator accordingto the terminology established by Andrews. Significant inter-site variability was observed for some of thedamage considered (in particular, digestion on incisors), and a key finding is that variability and the associatedstatistical confidence intervals are crucial notions that should be taken into account when assessing taphonomicalfeatures, in order to reliably identify the potential predator(s) responsible for small vertebrate fossil accumulations.