Predators, prey and the palaeoenvironment

Micromammal bones may be incorporated into archaeological sites through the actions of humans or predators such as owls, diurnal birds of prey and small carnivores. This article reports the role that non-human predators may play in the formation of micromammal deposits at such sites. Micromammal bones and teeth accumulate through the deposition of seats of small carnivores or the pellets of owls or diurnal birds of prey. It is possible to identify the predator/s responsible for fossil accumulations by taphonomic investigation of the bones and teeth and by studying the body part representation, the breakage patterns and the acid-etching caused by the digestive system of the hunter. Analyses of micromammal assemblages from archaeological sites in South Africa have hitherto assumed that the barn owl was responsible for the deposits. Taphonomic study of micromammal bones from Elands Bay Cave indicated instead that several species of predator contributed towards their accumulation. It is essential to use taphonomy to identify the predator/s of a micromammal assemblage as a basis of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction because predator behaviour influences prey size and the composition of the sample taken from the available mammal population. The period over which an assemblage accumulates and its size may also limit the prey animals represented.