Methods for inferring paleohabitats from the functional morphology of bovid phalanges

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science 2005-07, Vol.32 (7), p.1099-1113
• Main Authors: DeGusta, David, Vrba, Elisabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bovidae; Ecological morphology; Environmental studies; Fauna; Locomotor behavior; Methodology and general studies; Morphometrics; Paleoecology; Paleoenvironment; Prehistory and protohistory
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2005.02.010

The functional morphology of postcranial remains can be used to infer habitat preference. This approach is typically considered an “ecomorphological” method, and has frequently been applied to bovid postcranial remains. Methods for predicting habitat preference from bovid postcrania currently exist for femora, metapodials, and astragali. Here we describe three methods for predicting paleohabitats using measurements of African bovid phalanges (proximal, intermediate, and distal). The proximal phalanx method correctly predicted the habitat preference for 130 of 183 modern bovid specimens (71.0%, 2.8 times better than chance, p < 0.0001). The intermediate phalanx method correctly predicted the habitat preference for 115 of 163 modern bovid specimens (70.6%, 2.8 times better than chance, p < 0.0001). The distal phalanx method correctly predicted the habitat preference for 87 of 122 modern bovid specimens (71.3%, 2.8 times better than chance, p < 0.0001). These accuracies compare well with those of existing such methods (1.8–3.4 times better than chance). Analysis of the probabilities associated with the habitat predictions allows confidence thresholds to be established that identify specific predictions which have