Haystack Cave (lower levels)
Basic information
Sample name: Haystack Cave (lower levels)
Sample aka: 5GN 189
Reference: S. D. Emslie. 1986. Late Pleistocene vertebrates from Gunnison County, Colorado. Journal of Paleontology 60(1):170-176 [ER 3116]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
Coordinate: 38.48° N, -107.17° W
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3116
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.014935
Min Ma: 0.012154
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: NE1/4, SE1/4 of sec. 27, T49N, R3W"
there are "Two carbon 14 dates... based on bone apatite of unidentifiable fragments from levels 3 and 4 and 5 and 6", the first being 14, 935 +/- 610 B.P. and the second being "less accurate due to lesser amounts of available bone" and 12, 154 +/- 1, 700 B.P. (presumed to be uncalibrated because errors are symmetrically distributed)
lower levels (4 to 6) are "undisturbed" and definitely Pleistocene
there are "Two carbon 14 dates... based on bone apatite of unidentifiable fragments from levels 3 and 4 and 5 and 6", the first being 14, 935 +/- 610 B.P. and the second being "less accurate due to lesser amounts of available bone" and 12, 154 +/- 1, 700 B.P. (presumed to be uncalibrated because errors are symmetrically distributed)
lower levels (4 to 6) are "undisturbed" and definitely Pleistocene
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation, cave, rodent accumulation
Habitat comments: "a small volcanic lava tube"
"cultural remains are distinct only in the upper two levels (40 cm)... deposition of bone in the lower levels probably is due to natural rather than cultural processes... bone deposition probably resulted from carnivores using the cave as a den, rodents (especially woodrats) dragging bones into the cave and nesting there, and birds roosting there... carnivores... may have been the primary source of bone deposition"
"cultural remains are distinct only in the upper two levels (40 cm)... deposition of bone in the lower levels probably is due to natural rather than cultural processes... bone deposition probably resulted from carnivores using the cave as a den, rodents (especially woodrats) dragging bones into the cave and nesting there, and birds roosting there... carnivores... may have been the primary source of bone deposition"
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, rodents, ungulates, other small mammals, birds, frogs
Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash
Sample size: 290 specimens
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "All matrix was screened through one-quarter-inch screen"
Metadata
Sample no: 3404
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2019-08-30 13:16:42
Modified: 2023-05-30 00:26:17
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
22 species
9 singletons
total count 290
geometric series index: 47.8
Fisher's α: 5.529
geometric series k: 0.789
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7026
Shannon's H: 1.7631
Good's u: 0.969
Register
| Anaxyrus sp. | 1 | |
| "Bufo boreas" or "Bufo woodhousei" | ||
| Buteo sp. | 4 | |
| Lagopus sp. | 1 | |
| Sialia sp. | 1 | |
| Ochotona princeps | 4 | 157.0 g |
| Sylvilagus sp. | 10 | |
| Lepus sp. | 38 | |
| Marmota flaviventris | 145 | |
| Urocitellus richardsonii | 44 | |
| "Spermophilus richardsonii" | ||
| Thomomys talpoides | 2 | |
| nine specifically indeterminate specimens are also present | ||
| Neotoma cinerea | 4 | 240.0 g |
| seven indeterminate specimens of cinerea or mexicana are also present | ||
| Phenacomys intermedius | 1 | 23.5 g |
| Microtus longicaudus | 1 | 30.2 g |
| seven indeterminate specimens of Microtus are also present | ||
| Lemmiscus curtatus | 4 | 30.5 g |
| "Lagurus curtatus" | ||
| Vulpes vulpes (red fox) | 1 | |
| two other small canid specimens are also present | ||
| Ursus americanus (American black bear) | 1 | 115.0 kg |
| Spilogale putorius (eastern spotted skunk) | 1 | |
| †Miracinonyx cf. trumani (cat) | 1 | |
| "Acinonyx (Miracinonyx) trumani" | ||
| Odocoileus hemionus (mule deer) | 3 | 65.0 kg |
| Antilocapra americana (pronghorn) | 3 | 51.0 kg |
| Ovis canadensis (bighorn sheep) | 18 | 55.0 kg |
| Equus sp. | 2 | |