Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Winter 2016
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Resource Management
Committee Chair
Patrick M. Lubinski
Second Committee Member
John Bowen
Third Committee Member
Lourdes Henebry-Deleon
Abstract
Zooarchaeologists cannot identify mammal species by their stylohyoid bones. Current trends in zooarchaeological research stress the need for rigorous and accessible identification methodology. I examined the stylohyoids of 15 hooved mammals: cattle, bison, domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, Dall sheep, mountain goat, domestic goat, elk, caribou, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, domestic pig, and horse. Objectives included documenting how to side the stylohyoid (left or right), and producing species identification criteria based on large samples. A total of 325 samples were measured from eight repositories. Written descriptions, photographs, and success ratios for metrics and distinct traits are included for each species. Results indicate that stylohyoids can be sided based on longitudinal curvature, and that broad categories such as large vs. small ungulates, medium categories such as family and genus, and several species can be identified with more than 90% probability using combinations of measurements and ratios.
Recommended Citation
Hale, Thomas A., "Species Identification of the Stylohyoid Bone for North American Artiodactyls" (2016). All Master's Theses. 344.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/344
Language
English