Subsistence Remains from Prehistoric North Carolina Archaeological Sites [Fossiles subsistants dans les sites préhistorique et archéologique de Caroline du Nord].

Résumé

Mammals Forty-nine taxa of mammals have been identified in collections from North Carolina archaeological sites. Many of these were of economic importance. Economically important species include members of the deer family (elk [Cervus canadensis] and white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus]), rodents (beaver [Castor canadensis], woodchuck [Marmota monax], muskrat [Ondatra zibethica], and squirrels [Sciurus sp.]), rabbits (Sylvilagus sp.), the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), the raccoon (Procyon lotor), and the black bear (Ursus americanus), all of which were used as food sources. Other economically important species provided skins (e.g., many of carnivores such as the wolf [Canis lupus], the puma [Felis concolor], the bobcat [Lynx rufus], the otter [Lutra canadensis], mink/weasel [Mustela sp.], and fox [Urocyon cinereoargenteus]). Species that contributed food also provided hides as well. Three domesitcated mammals have been identified from archaeological sites in North Carolina. One is the domesticated dog (Canis familiaris). The other two species were domesticated in the Old World and introduced to North Carolina by early European colonists. These species are the cow (Bos taurus) and the pig (Sus scrofa). Some of the taxa that have been identified in archaeological deposits represent commensal species whose presence in the archaeological record are probably the result of accidental incorporation as a result of their presence in the prehistoric communities. Among these are probably forms such as shrews (Blarina sp.), rats and mice (families Cricetidae and Muridae), and voles (Microtus sp.).