ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS MORTALITY PROFILES AND THE CULTURAL PREDATORY ADAPTATIONS AT ASPEN SHELTER, UTAH

Authors

James T. Anderson, Brigham Young University
Dr. Joel C. Janetskik, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Odocoileus hemionus, mule deer, mortality, predatory adaptations, Aspen shelter, Utah

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

Mortality profiles (ages at death) constructed from the faunal analysis of archaeological sites offer unique insights into specific cultural predatory patterns and lifeways of the sites former inhabitants. The products of prey age selection or mortality profiles allow archaeologists to understand strategies of hunting, land use, and “habitual techniques of procurement” . A mortality profile of 4 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) was created from the thousands of identified bones excavated at Aspen Shelter, Utah in an attempt to understand such cultural adaptations.

Recommended Citation

Anderson, James T. and Janetskik, Dr. Joel C. (2013) "ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS MORTALITY PROFILES AND THE CULTURAL PREDATORY ADAPTATIONS AT ASPEN SHELTER, UTAH," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 143.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/143