LINEAR GOUGES ON THE BONES OF A PLEISTOCENE MASTODON FROM NORTHEASTERN OHIO: EVIDENCE OF SCAVENGING, GNAWING, OR HUMAN BUTCHERING?

Approximately 60% of the skeleton of an adolescent male mastodon (“Little Horatio”) was recovered from a Pleistocene kettle lake deposit in Fairlawn, Summit County, northeastern Ohio in 1966. Although the material has been available for study for some time, no research has hitherto been published on the preservation, paleobiology, or paleoecology of this mastodon. As part of a larger taphonomic study, several isolated (but complete) bones, most commonly ribs, were recognized as substrates for relatively short, linear gouges. The gross appearance of these gouges is compatible with either (1) tooth scrape-marks, representing the probable activity of scavengers; (2) gnawing marks produced by rodent incisors; or (3) tool cut-marks, representing butchering by humans. Careful examination of the morphology and distribution of these structures indicates that rodent gnawing is the most likely causative process. This is supported by an example of a gouge that consists of two parallel component structures (seemingly corresponding to paired incisors); the preferential occurrence on elongate, thin bones and absence on other portions of the skeleton that are commonly targeted by scavengers and butchering humans; symmetry that does not suggest a handedness to gouges; and the total absence of archaeological artifacts at the site. The size of these structures is appropriate for smaller rodents rather than beavers as producing organisms. This study emphasizes the significance of careful attention to subtle features to vertebrate taphonomy and biotic interactions.