Bones, carnivores, and grassland fires. Actualistic taphonomy of faunal assemblages from two caves in Central Argentina and its implication for the fossil record

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the potential accumulator of two modern non-digested bone assemblages recovered from El Laurel (EL) and El Pulgar (EP) caves, both located in Characato (Córdoba province, Central Argentina), as well as to evaluate the role of recent wildfires in its formation. For this purpose, we combined a detailed taphonomic analysis of bones and remote sensing data analysis in GIS. Our results and its comparison with other actualistic studies from different latitudes show that the assemblages are likely to be averaged accumulations produced and modified by different small carnivores (foxes and felids) that inhabit the area, including Lycalopex culpaeus smithersi, Leopardus geoffroyi and/or Lycalopex gymnocercus. On the other hand, remote sensing analyses showed that fires differentially affected the caves–EL was the most affected–, especially due to variations in their surrounding environments and fuel availability. This difference in fire severity between both caves is reflected in the frequency of burnt specimens and the extension of burning in the bone surface of their assemblages.