Lower third molar morphometrics and dietary implications in the archaeological cervid from Playa Don Bernardo archaeological site, Panamá

This study presents an osteometric analysis of the lower third molar (m3) from an archaeological cervid recovered from the Playa Don Bernardo (PdB) archaeological site on Pedro González Island, part of Panama’s Pearl Islands, dating to approximately 5000 BP. A total of 176 m3 specimens from both mod...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Martínez-Polanco, María Fernanda
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Centro de Estudios Históricos. UA CONICET 2026
Materias:
osteometry
Insular cervid
human-environment interaction
Holocene
osteometría
´Cérvido insular
Interacción humano-ambiente
Holoceno
Acceso en línea:https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/comechingonia/article/view/48795
Aporte de:
Comechingonia. Revista de Arqueología de Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Descripción
Sumario:This study presents an osteometric analysis of the lower third molar (m3) from an archaeological cervid recovered from the Playa Don Bernardo (PdB) archaeological site on Pedro González Island, part of Panama’s Pearl Islands, dating to approximately 5000 BP. A total of 176 m3 specimens from both modern and archaeological cervids were examined, including 26 teeth from PdB and comparative samples from Odocoileus virginianus, Odocoileus hemionus, Hippocamelus antisensis, Hippocamelus bisulcus, Ozotoceros bezoarticus, Blastocerus dichotomus, Mazama americana, Mazama bricenii, Mazama nana, Mazama temama, Subulo gouazoubira, Passalites nemorivagus, Pudu mephistopheles, and Pudu puda housed in several natural history museums. Morphometric analyses, including Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and boxplots, reveal that PdB does not fully overlap with any extant species but occupies an intermediate morphospace between small-bodied taxa (Pudu spp.) and medium-sized deer (Mazama americana, Subulo gouazoubira, and Passalites nemorivagus). PdB specimens display considerable intraspecific variation, yet consistently exhibit larger values than Pudu and smaller than larger-bodied taxa such as Hippocamelus antisensis and Odocoileus hemionus. The m3 proportions suggest a mixed-feeding strategy, indicating adaptation to a mosaic environment of open woodlands and semi-forested areas.

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