Analysis of rodent remains from the Las Vueltas 1 archaeological site, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Abstract

It is frequent to find the remains of several rodent species among the many archaeological sites of Northern Tierra del Fuego. However, the taphonomic interpretation of rodents is a complex issue, given that it is necessary to identify if these were incorporated into the archaeological assemblages through anthropic or natural action or agents. Yet, the identification of those assemblages that accumulated through human action or due to natural agents is an important issue given that only then we can infer the role that rodents had in human subsistence. In this article, we study rodent remains recovered from the archaeological site of Las Vueltas 1 (Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Argentina); here rodents represented the second most common taxon present in the assemblage. A total of 2191 skeletal elements were recorded; 1488 remains belonged to the caviomorph, Ctenomys magellanicus, while 703 specimens belonged to at least four Cricetidae species. From a taphonomic perspective, a large number of the remains would have entered the archaeological assemblage through actions by raptors, carnivores, and as a result of natural death in burrows. Nevertheless, although to a lesser extent, there is also evidence of human consumption and discard of C. magellanicus.