Equus Cave (Unit 1A)
Basic information
Sample name: Equus Cave (Unit 1A)
Reference: R. G. Klein, K. Cruz-Uribe, and P. B. Beaumont. 1991. Environmental, ecological, and paleoanthropological implications of the late Pleistocene mammalian fauna from Equus Cave, northern Cape Province, South Africa. Quaternary Research 36(1):94-119 [ER 3107]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: North West
Coordinate: 28° 37' S, 25° 37' E
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3107
Unit number: 1
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.00748
Min Ma: 0.00239
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Equus Cave is located on the Gaap Escarpment at Norlim (formerly Buxton), near Taung in the northern Cape Province (now North West) of South Africa".
"Two radiocarbon dates - 2390 +/- 60 yr B.P. (Pta-2452) on charcoal from near the middle of 1A and 7480 +/- 80 yr B.P. (Pta-2495) on ostrich eggshell from near its base - indicate that 1A dates from the Holocene".
"Two radiocarbon dates - 2390 +/- 60 yr B.P. (Pta-2452) on charcoal from near the middle of 1A and 7480 +/- 80 yr B.P. (Pta-2495) on ostrich eggshell from near its base - indicate that 1A dates from the Holocene".
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: cave, human accumulation
Archaeology: bone tools
Habitat comments: "Unit 1A ia a layer of grayish-brown sandy loam up to 50 cm thick. The entire sequence is rich in animal bones, and 1A also contains typical Later Stone Age bone points".
"The relative abundance of artifacts, the small number of porcupine gnawed bones, and the rarity of coprolites suggest that people were the main bone collectors in Unit 1A".
"The relative abundance of artifacts, the small number of porcupine gnawed bones, and the rarity of coprolites suggest that people were the main bone collectors in Unit 1A".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 828 specimens
Years: 1978, 1982
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "The first systematic excavations of Equus Cave took place in 1978 and were extended in 1982. A grid of squares 1 m on a side was laid down, and the excavation proceeded according to arbitrary 7.5-cm-deep levels or “spits” within four poorly defined natural stratigraphic units: lA, lB, 2A, and 2B".
Metadata
Sample no: 3393
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2019-08-29 12:18:44
Modified: 2023-04-29 01:04:59
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
33 species
4 singletons
total count 828
geometric series index: 45.5
Fisher's α: 6.876
geometric series k: 0.8403
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8569
Shannon's H: 2.5115
Good's u: 0.9952
Register
| Leporidae indet. | 27 | |
| Pedetes capensis | 5 | 2.4 kg |
| Hystrix africaeaustralis | 9 | 15.0 kg |
| Papio ursinus (chacma baboon) | 62 | 20.0 kg |
| Homo sapiens (human) | 3 | 64.0 kg |
| Canis mesomelas (black-backed jackal) | 262 | 7.9 kg |
| Vulpes chama (Cape fox) | 44 | 2.7 kg |
| Otocyon megalotis (bat-eared fox) | 3 | 3.2 kg |
| 161 Vulpini indet. "Cape/bat-eared fox" | ||
| Mellivora capensis (honey badger) | 1 | 7.7 kg |
| Herpestes ichneumon (Egyptian mongoose) | 5 | 2.9 kg |
| Cynictis penicillata | 2 | 910.0 g |
| Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena) | 2 | 66.0 kg |
| 41 Hyaenidae indet. | ||
| Parahyaena brunnea (brown hyena) | 35 | |
| "Hyaena brunnea" | ||
| Felis lybica (African wildcat) | 4 | 4.5 kg |
| Felis nigripes (black-footed cat) | 1 | 1.6 kg |
| also 15 Felis sp. "Wildcat/black-footed cat" | ||
| Caracal caracal (caracal) | 4 | |
| "Felis caracal" | ||
| Panthera pardus (leopard) | 3 | |
| 3 Felinae indet. "Leopard/cheetah" | ||
| Orycteropus afer (aardvark) | 1 | 40.0 kg |
| Procavia capensis (rock hyrax) | 121 | 2.8 kg |
| Equus quagga burchellii (plains zebra) | 37 | |
| "Equus burchelli" | ||
| Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog) | 21 | 82.0 kg |
| "Phacochoerus aethiopicus" | ||
| Taurotragus oryx (common eland) | 3 | |
| Tragelaphus strepsiceros (greater kudu) | 2 | 189.0 kg |
| Hippotragus sp. | 3 | |
| Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck) | 29 | 29.0 kg |
| Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok) | 14 | 16.0 kg |
| Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi (bontebok) | 7 | |
| "Damaliscus dorcas" | ||
| Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest) | 4 | 202.0 kg |
| 21 Alcelaphinae indet. | ||
| Antidorcas marsupialis (springbok) | 36 | 40.0 kg |
| Raphicerus campestris (steenbok) | 44 | 9.7 kg |
| Sylvicapra grimmia (common duiker) | 22 | 13.0 kg |
| Ovis aries (sheep) | 11 | |
| Syncerus caffer (African buffalo) | 1 | 548.0 kg |