Boomplaas Cave (Member LOH)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member LOH)
Reference: J. T. Faith. 2013. Taphonomic and paleoecological change in the large mammal sequence from Boomplaas Cave, western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 65(6):715-730 [ER 3779]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: Western Cape
Coordinate: 33° 22' 14" S, 22° 10' 31" E
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3779
Unit number: 13
Unit order: above to below
Min Ma: 0.066
Age basis: U/Th
Geography comments: "Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa".
The LOH member of the deposit accumulated sometime before 66, 000 ± 7000 BP.
The LOH member of the deposit accumulated sometime before 66, 000 ± 7000 BP.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation, carnivore accumulation, cave
Habitat comments: "Boomplaas Cave contains a stratified sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) deposits spanning the last 65, 000 years. People were the primary accumulators of the faunal remains in the LSA assemblages younger than ∼18, 000 years ago (CL to BLD). In the LSA and MSA deposits dating from 18, 000 to 50, 000 years ago (BOL to GWA), a combination of humans, carnivores, and raptors accumulated the faunal remains, while the lowermost units were accumulated by carnivores and raptors".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 146 specimens
Sampled by: H. J. Deacon
Years: 1974 - 1979
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "Excavations were conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979. In 2009 and 2010, taphonomic and taxonomic data were collected on thousands of previously unsorted specimens, in addition to those previously examined. All MSA and LSA units were examined with the exception of the uppermost pastoralist levels (member DGL)".
Metadata
Sample no: 4094
Contributor no: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-23 13:50:37
Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:38
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
12 species
3 singletons
total count 146
geometric series index: 22.9
Fisher's α: 3.098
geometric series k: 0.661
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.544
Shannon's H: 1.2798
Good's u: 0.9798
Register
| Lepus capensis | 3 | |
| Papio ursinus (chacma baboon) | 12 | 20.0 kg |
| Caracal caracal (caracal) | 1 | |
| "Felis cf caracal" | ||
| Panthera pardus (leopard) | 2 | |
| Procavia capensis (rock hyrax) | 95 | 2.8 kg |
| Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck) | 1 | 29.0 kg |
| Redunca arundinum (southern reedbuck) | 2 | |
| also 2 Redunca sp. | ||
| Damaliscus pygargus (bontebok) | 2 | |
| "Damaliscus dorcas" | ||
| Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok) | 21 | 16.0 kg |
| Antidorcas cf. marsupialis (springbok) | 4 | 40.0 kg |
| Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer) | 2 | |
| Raphicerus melanotis (Cape grysbok) | 1 | 9.1 kg |
| also 8 Raphicerus sp. and 7 Neotragini indet. | ||