La formación de las acumulaciones óseas de macrofaunarevisión de los criterios de discernimiento de los agentes biológicos no antrópicos desde un enfoque ecológico

Abstract

Taphonomy or the interpretation of fossil bone assemblages is a research framework used to achieve a comprehension of the formation of both archaeological living floors and paleontological sites. In order to make right taphonomic interpretations it has increasingly become necessary to improve our knowledge on the trophic behavior of diverse biological agents, so as to be able to understand the way that bone accumulations are originated. Therefore, in this work the main aspects of carnivore behavior on carcass transport are discussed under the light of an ecological consideration. It is concluded that, although most predators shift carcasses to different spots of the landscape, nearby the place where they were obtained, only very few indeed are involved in bone accumulations. This behavior is related to the ecological conditions and the biological features of each kind of carnivore as well as to its social organizarion.