Black on white. The exploitation of penguins and shags in Southern Patagonia during the Holocene

Penguins (Spheniscidae) and shags (Phalacrocoracidae) are emblematic birds of Southern Patagonia that are repeatedly represented in the regional archaeological record. The goal of this paper is to consider the zooarchaeological evidence to explore whether there are differences in the interactions between these birds and Holocene human hunters, as well as their possible causes. To address this goal, the published information for the provinces of Santa Cruz (Argentina) and Magallanes (Chile) was compiled, selecting those zooarchaeological assemblages with detailed analysis of these birds' bones. It was established that, at least at some times or under certain conditions, shags were significant and reliable prey when human populations were on the coast. On the contrary, penguins never were preys of a similar hierarchy, although their larger body size would have allowed for higher economic yield. Technological differences between the human populations of the Atlantic coast and those of the Strait of Magellan and Otway/ Skyring Sounds, as well as variations in the availability of shags and penguins throughout the Holocene, allows to explain these differences in the archaeological pattern detected.