Direct dating confirms the presence of otter and badger in early Holocene Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID19553695
AuthorsRobert C Power (0000-0001-7425-5709, University College Dublin, corresponding author), Ingelise Stuijts (Discovery Programme), Finbar Mccormick (0000-0001-6759-0701, Queen's University Belfast), Sahra Talamo (0000-0002-2406-3132, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)
Year2023
Volume9
Issue1
Publication date2023-12-31
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSTAR Science & Technology of Archaeological Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2054-8923 • E-ISSN: 2054-8923
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/20548923.2023.2253082
OpenAlexW4387058666
LanguageEN
References cited59

The origin of Ireland’s fauna is an unresolved issue in the history of the island. Although researchers once considered Ireland’s mammals to have spread to Ireland during the early postglacial from 11,700 cal BP, research has increasingly suggested humans translocated many of these species to Ireland. However, due to sparse evidence, the origin of Ireland’s purported native mustelid species remains unanswered. In this study, we shed light on the history of otter and badger in Ireland by directly dating suspected early examples of these species from Derragh, Co. Longford, a late Mesolithic campsite. The results demonstrate that both of these species have been present in Ireland for at least 7000–8000 years. It is not clear if they represent self-colonisers or Mesolithic anthropogenic translocations. Although these finds do not rule out local extinction and later reintroduction, they show that we can no longer assume they are solely late Holocene introductions

Archaeology · Badger · Biology · Ethnology · Fauna · Geography · Holocene · Mesolithic · Northern ireland · Otter · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology · Paleontology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access