The Camelids (Artiodactyla: Camelidae) and Equids (Perissodactyla: Equidae) from the Pilauco Site, Northwestern Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

This chapter synthesizes the findings of fossil remains from equids and camelids at the Pilauco site, including the first discoveries from 1986, as well as the systematic excavations since 2007. The group of horses is exclusively represented by the genus Equus, as was identified on cranial and postcranial remnants. The findings from the eastern and western sectors display metric differences that might be indicative for the presence of two species or morphotypes. The horse remains are most abundant in stratigraphic layer PB-8. The metric analysis assigns most of the camelid remnants to cf. Hemiauhenia paradoxa, whereas the remaining, less diagnostic, material is classified merely on the family level. The camelid remnants have been recovered from stratigraphic layers PB-7 and PB-8. Based on the distribution of camelid and equid fossils, two occupational events can be spatially distinguished within layer PB-7. A preliminary taphonomic analysis indicates some differences in the depositional history between the eastern and western sector of the site.