Zouhrah Cave (L 1)
Basic information
Sample name: Zouhrah Cave (L 1)

Sample aka: El Harhoura 1

Reference: H. Monchot and H. Aouraghe. 2009. Deciphering the taphonomic history of an Upper Paleolithic faunal assemblage from Zouhrah Cave/El Harhoura 1, Morocco. Quaternaire 20(2):239-253 [ER 3787]
Geography
Country: Morocco

Coordinate: 33.94° N, -6.95° W
Latlng basis: estimated from map

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3787

Unit number: 3

Unit order: below to above

Geography comments: shown on a map as ENE of central Temara on the coast
coordinate based on the beach location of Harhoura in Temara
age unclear, but Upper Paleolithic "Aterian" based on stone tools and underlies the dated middle Late Pleistocene level s2

Environment
Lithology: sandstone

Taphonomic context: carnivore accumulation, cave, rodent accumulation

Archaeology: hearths, stone tools

Habitat comments: s1 and 1 are in "Sandy sediments, more or less clayey or silty"
based on a detailed taphonomic analysis, "The hyena would have been the main collector and modifier of bones at Zouhrah cave" but material was also accumulated by porcupines
levels s1, 1, and 2 include "a small lithic industry composed of pebble tools and complete or fractured pebbles"
there are "numerous burnt stones" in "levels 1 and 2" but "cutmarks or characteristic bone fractures" are "rare"

Methods
Life forms: carnivores, rodents, ungulates, other small mammals, birds, crustaceans

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 1563 specimens

Sampled by: A. Debénath

Years: 1976

Net or trap nights: 0

Basal area status: not applicable

Sampling comments: "discovered during residential construction work in 1976 and ... excavated by A. Debénath"
numerous amphibians, reptiles, birds, lagomorphs, mollusks, and rodents are described from somewhere in the section
reptile, amphibian, and "mollusc" specimens are listed in the table at this level

Metadata
Sample no: 4110

Contributor no: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2023-02-24 14:06:34

Modified: 2023-05-30 05:09:02

Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
24 species
1 singleton
total count 1563
geometric series index: 28.2
Fisher's α: 4.024
geometric series k: 0.7655
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6276
Shannon's H: 1.7317
Good's u: 0.9994
Register
Canis aureus (golden jackal)569.9 kg
Vulpes vulpes (red fox)56
Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena)266.0 kg
Panthera pardus (leopard)11
Panthera leo (lion)3147.0 kg
Felis lybica (African wildcat)194.5 kg
Felis margarita (sand cat)5
Ictonyx libycus (Saharan striped polecat)9
"Ictonyx libyca"
Equus algericus (horse)14
Equus mauritanicus (horse)17
Equus africanus (African wild ass)3
compared to "Equus asinus", but not domesticated
Elephantidae indet.1
"elephant"
Sus scrofa (pig)13
Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog)482.0 kg
Bos primigenius (aurochs)25
Syncerus antiquus (bovid)4
"Pelorovis antiquus"
Antilopini indet.934
Alcelaphini indet.85
Hippotragini indet.38
Tragelaphini indet.23
Hystrix cristata 10812.0 kg
Lepus capensis 73
Struthio camelus 13111.0 kg
Carcinus sp. 47