New data on small fauna Salado River Depression (province of Buenos Aires, Argentina): the case of San Ramon 7

The analysis of small vertebrate fauna from the archaeological site of San Ramon 7 (SR7) is presented. The site is located on the lower basin of the Salado River in Buenos Aires province (pampean region, Argentina). This landscape was often inhabited by hunter-gathererfishermen all along the Late Holocene. Radiocarbon dates testify to the earliest human settlement within this region (2433 +/- 36 years C-14 BP). At SR7, 1434 faunal remains were recovered, of which 70,85% (n=1016) were assigned to taxonomic category, while 29,15% (n=418) were non-identifiable. A feature of this assemblage is its fragmentation. A variety of small and medium size vertebrates were recorded including birds, fish and mammals. Within the last category, specimens from the order Rodentia, the genus Dusicyon sp. and the species Myocastor coypus were identified. In spite of the fact that few cutmarks and cultural fractures were documented, as well as burned bones, it is proposed that human groups in accordance with the model proposed for the area- systematically exploited the small fauna and complemented their diet with cervids.