Elemental and isotopic analyses of mammalian fauna from Southern Africa and their implications for paleodietary research
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| ANO | 1988 |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| PERIÓDICO | American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
| ISSN | 0002-9483 |
| E-ISSN | 1096-8644 |
| EDITORA | John Wiley and Sons Inc |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajpa.1330760106 |
| CITAÇÕES | 12 |
| ADICIONADO EM | 2025-08-18 |
| MD5 |
5552603f2864667074fb161f3fdc3734
|
Resumo
Elemental analyses of mammalian bone (e.g., strontium‐calcium ratios, or Sr/Ca) distinguish between herbivores and carnivores; however, the relationships among herbivores are unclear. To study this question, a modern faunal sample from the Nagupande Tsetse Control Area (Zambezi drainage, Northwestern Zimbabwe) was used. This collection has the advantage of well‐established geographical controls in addition to a varied fauna, which includes both bovids and suids.The grazing/browsing dietary status of each species was ascertained by means of isotopic analysis of carbon. Clear differences were seen in the δ13C of grazing and browsing animals; a specialized grazer was found to have significantly lower Sr/Ca than less specialized grazers and browsers.In this study it was also possible to examine differences in Sr/Ca by sex; female warthogs were found to have significantly lower Sr/Ca than males. The variation in certain animal groups was found to be abnormal.Implications for reconstruction of prehistoric human diets using trace‐element techniques are discussed.