Boomplaas Cave (Member OLP)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member OLP)
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: 10
Unit order: above to below
Ma: 0.044
Age basis: other
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 OLP member of the deposit has been dated by amino acid racemization to 44, 000 ± 4000 BP.
The OLP member of the deposit has been dated by amino acid racemization to 44, 000 ± 4000 BP.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation, carnivore accumulation, cave, human accumulation
Archaeology: stone tools
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: 208 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: 4091
Contributor no: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-23 13:32:42
Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:45
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
17 species
7 singletons
total count 208
geometric series index: 34.8
Fisher's α: 4.38
geometric series k: 0.7494
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7219
Shannon's H: 1.7945
Good's u: 0.9664
Register
| Lepus capensis | 2 | |
| Bunolagus monticularis | 26 | |
| also 6 Leporidae indet. | ||
| Papio ursinus (chacma baboon) | 16 | 20.0 kg |
| Canis cf. mesomelas (black-backed jackal) | 1 | 7.9 kg |
| Herpestes pulverulentus (Cape grey mongoose) | 1 | |
| Caracal caracal (caracal) | 1 | |
| "Felis cf caracal" | ||
| Panthera pardus (leopard) | 4 | |
| Procavia capensis (rock hyrax) | 101 | 2.8 kg |
| Equus sp. | 4 | |
| zebra/quagga | ||
| Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck) | 7 | 29.0 kg |
| also 4 Redunca sp. | ||
| Connochaetes cf. gnou (black wildebeest) | 1 | |
| Damaliscus pygargus (bontebok) | 3 | |
| "Damaliscus dorcas", also 3 Alcelaphinae indet. | ||
| Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok) | 22 | 16.0 kg |
| Antidorcas cf. marsupialis (springbok) | 1 | 40.0 kg |
| Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer) | 16 | |
| Raphicerus melanotis (Cape grysbok) | 1 | 9.1 kg |
| also 11 Raphicerus sp. and 4 Neotragini indet. | ||
| Syncerus caffer (African buffalo) | 1 | 548.0 kg |