Boomplaas Cave (Member LOH)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member LOH)

Reference: J. T. Faith. 2013. Taphonomic and paleoecological change in the large mammal sequence from Boomplaas Cave, western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 65(6):715-730 [ER 3779]
Geography
Country: South Africa

State: Western Cape



Coordinate: 33° 22' 14" S, 22° 9' 31" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3779

Unit number: 13

Unit order: above to below

Min Ma: 0.066

Age basis: U/Th

Geography comments: "Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa".
The LOH member of the deposit accumulated sometime before 66,000 ± 7000 BP.

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,carnivore accumulation,cave

Habitat comments: "Boomplaas Cave contains a stratified sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) deposits spanning the last 65,000 years. People were the primary accumulators of the faunal remains in the LSA assemblages younger than ∼18,000 years ago (CL to BLD). In the LSA and MSA deposits dating from 18,000 to 50,000 years ago (BOL to GWA), a combination of humans, carnivores, and raptors accumulated the faunal remains, while the lowermost units were accumulated by carnivores and raptors".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 146 specimens

Sampled by: H. J. Deacon

Years: 1974 - 1979

Sampling comments: "Excavations were conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979. In 2009 and 2010, taphonomic and taxonomic data were collected on thousands of previously unsorted specimens, in addition to those previously examined. All MSA and LSA units were examined with the exception of the uppermost pastoralist levels (member DGL)".

Metadata
Sample number: 4094

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-23 13:50:37

Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:38

Abundance distribution
12 species
3 singletons
total count 146
geometric series index: 22.9
Fisher's α: 3.098
geometric series k: 0.6610
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.5440
Shannon's H: 1.2798
Good's u: 0.9798
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Lepus capensis3
Papio ursinus1220 kg
Caracal caracal112 kg carnivore
"Felis cf caracal"
Panthera pardus233 kg carnivore
Procavia capensis952.8 kg browser
Redunca fulvorufula129 kg
Redunca arundinum2 grazer
also 2 Redunca sp.
Damaliscus pygargus283 kg grazer-browser
"Damaliscus dorcas"
Pelea capreolus2116 kg grazer
Antidorcas cf. marsupialis440 kg browser-grazer
Oreotragus oreotragus2 browser-grazer
Raphicerus melanotis19.1 kg
also 8 Raphicerus sp. and 7 Neotragini indet.