Dear Ziortza,
Some beetles from the families Dermestidae, Cleridae and Ptinidae are
known to feed on bone material. Dermestid beetles sometimes also drill
holes into bones in order to prepare cavities for there pupal stage. The
tanacid moth (Tinea deperdella) is feeding on horn and can cause scars
on horncores. Termites are suggested to damage bones.
References:
SHIPMAN, PAT (1981): Life History of a Fossil, 111-112, Cambridge
TOBIEN, HEINZ (1965): Insekten-Fraßspuren an tertiären und pleistozänen
Säugetier-Knochen. - Senckenbergiana lethaea 46a, 441-451, Frankfurt (Main)
BEHRENSMEYER, ANNA KAY (1978): Taphonomic and ecologic information from
bone weathering. - Paleobiology 4(2), 150-162, Chicago
KRUUK, HANS (1975): Hyena, 17, Oxford / London
Best
Christian
--
KNOCHENARBEIT
Hans Christian Küchelmann
Diplom-Biologe
Findorffstrasse 12, D-28215 Bremen, Germany
tel: +421 / 61 99 177
fax: +421 / 37 83 540
mail: [log in to unmask]
web: http://www.knochenarbeit.de
-----
Ziortza schrieb:
> Dear Zooarchers:
> I´m working on natural taphonomic effects on bones buried in karstic
> caves. Because there is no much works focused on this issue (in
> comparison with Cultural taphonomic) I´m having serious poblems to
> interpretate the presence some features like circular shallow pitting on
> bone surfaces. As many of you know the formation of circular pitting can
> be the result of chemical processes due to interactions beetween fluids
> (water) and bone surface, although some of theses features may also be
> the result of biological procesess due to insect scavenging... Does
> anyone of you work on these kind of issues?
> I would very appreciate any bibliographical references, especially
> images of modified bones by natural taphonomic processes, both
> biological and chemical.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> ZIORTZA SAN PEDRO CALLEJA
> EUSKAL MUSEOA. BILBAO. MUSEO VASCO (BASQUE MUSEUM OF BILBAO)
> Museum Technician
> M. de Unamuno Plaza, 4
> 48006 BILBAO - BIZKAIA - NORTHERN SPAIN
> (+34) 94 415 54 23 - Mail to: [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Fax: (+34) 94 479 06 08 - www.euskal-museoa.org
> <http://www.euskal-museoa.org>
|