Shelter Cave
Encyclopedia
Shelter Cave is an archaeological and paleontological site located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico
.
well up on the western side of Bishop's Cap, an outlier of the Organ Mountains
. It lies about 450 ft below the summit according to Brattstrom (1964); this would make its elevation about 1500 m. It was originally excavated by the Los Angeles County Museum
(LACM) ca. 1929 (LACMVP site number 1010). Specimens collected from talus
, fill, or other areas are labeled 1010 Dump or 1010D. Specimens collected by Conkling are labeled C 1010. The cave
was excavated in 5-foot sections.
Brattstrom (1964) had access to the original field notes. Two profiles were given. One in Sec. S-5-7, from bottom to top: rock bottom of cave, 5" angular fragments, 8" smooth concretionary limestone
fragments mixed with brown dust, 6" of ash mixed with angular fragments, 10" of layered gray (volcanic?) ash grading into a layer of brown, 4" of hard burned guano
, 4" of unconsolidated bat
guano, top. Most bones were found in brown and gray ash. Another section 53" thick, from bottom up: floor of cave, 17" of broken concretionary limestone fragments, 16" of brown ash
, 12" of gray layered ash grading into the brown below it, 8" of bat guano, top.
Brattstrom (1964:95) gives several quotes from the original field notes: Sloth
in place, S-5-4 in upper guano layer and in direct association with bits of knots of vegetative material. S-6-5, sloth bone in upper yellow layer. Mummified rat and snake on top of rocks in bat guano. S-5-6, S-5-5, horse jaws in brown ash. S-5-6, sloth skull fragment in gray ash below overhanging rock. In same section above rock was an Indian grindstone. S-4-7, beads and sandal
found beneath guano layer and also below overhanging rock. S-4-9, badger
and deer
skulls in gray ash.
(late Pleistocene
) and Holocene
. One date on sloth dung
(Van Devender and Spaulding 1979) of 11,330 ± 370 BP
(Before Present). Material has continued to accumulate up to the present. Thompson et al. (1980) list three dates for sloth dung, including that above; the others are 12,330 ± 190 and 12,430 ± 250. They also list dates on Desert Tortoise
(Gopherus agassizii) scute
s and bone (11,280 to 12,520) and dates for midden
s of packrats in the cave (11,850 to 31,250).
s of either sloth or horse. Thompson et al. (1980) point out that vegetation from pre-full-glacial middens from the shelter are more mesic than the terminal Pleistocene ones that lack oak, and pinyon pine
is rare).
This is the type locality of Stockoceros conklingi (Conkling's Pronghorn
).
The fauna
l list includes one or more citations for each taxon
. UTEP indicates specimens are deposited in the Resource Collections of the Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum
, University of Texas at El Paso
.
The Los Angeles County Museum has a large collection from Shelter Cave, including the type of Stockoceros conklingi. Most of the material has yet to be studied.
REPTILIA
AVES
MAMMALIA
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Description
The site is a rock shelterRock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
well up on the western side of Bishop's Cap, an outlier of the Organ Mountains
Organ Mountains
The Organ Mountains are a rugged mountain range in southern New Mexico in the Southwestern United States. They lie east of the city of Las Cruces, in Doña Ana County.-Geography:...
. It lies about 450 ft below the summit according to Brattstrom (1964); this would make its elevation about 1500 m. It was originally excavated by the Los Angeles County Museum
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. The moving force behind it was a museum association founded in 1910. Its distinctive main building, with fitted marble walls and domed and...
(LACM) ca. 1929 (LACMVP site number 1010). Specimens collected from talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
, fill, or other areas are labeled 1010 Dump or 1010D. Specimens collected by Conkling are labeled C 1010. The cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
was excavated in 5-foot sections.
Brattstrom (1964) had access to the original field notes. Two profiles were given. One in Sec. S-5-7, from bottom to top: rock bottom of cave, 5" angular fragments, 8" smooth concretionary limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
fragments mixed with brown dust, 6" of ash mixed with angular fragments, 10" of layered gray (volcanic?) ash grading into a layer of brown, 4" of hard burned guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
, 4" of unconsolidated bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
guano, top. Most bones were found in brown and gray ash. Another section 53" thick, from bottom up: floor of cave, 17" of broken concretionary limestone fragments, 16" of brown ash
Wood ash
Wood ash is the residue powder left after the combustion of wood. Main producers of wood ash are wood industries and power plants.-Composition:...
, 12" of gray layered ash grading into the brown below it, 8" of bat guano, top.
Brattstrom (1964:95) gives several quotes from the original field notes: Sloth
Sloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
in place, S-5-4 in upper guano layer and in direct association with bits of knots of vegetative material. S-6-5, sloth bone in upper yellow layer. Mummified rat and snake on top of rocks in bat guano. S-5-6, S-5-5, horse jaws in brown ash. S-5-6, sloth skull fragment in gray ash below overhanging rock. In same section above rock was an Indian grindstone. S-4-7, beads and sandal
Sandal
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwearSandal may also refer to:* Sandal Castle, site of the Battle of Wakefield in the Wars of the Roses* Sandal, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England* Sandal, Afghanistan* Šandal, village in Slovakia...
found beneath guano layer and also below overhanging rock. S-4-9, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
skulls in gray ash.
Age
RancholabreanRancholabrean
The Rancholabrean North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from less than 240,000 years to 11,000 years BP, a period of . It is usually considered to overlap the Middle Pleistocene...
(late Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
) and Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. One date on sloth dung
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
(Van Devender and Spaulding 1979) of 11,330 ± 370 BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
(Before Present). Material has continued to accumulate up to the present. Thompson et al. (1980) list three dates for sloth dung, including that above; the others are 12,330 ± 190 and 12,430 ± 250. They also list dates on Desert Tortoise
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They can be located in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The species name agassizii is in honor of...
(Gopherus agassizii) scute
Scute
A scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, the feet of some birds or the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects.-Properties:...
s and bone (11,280 to 12,520) and dates for midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
s of packrats in the cave (11,850 to 31,250).
Comments
Fosberg (1936) lists plants identified from Shelter Cave deposits, but without provenance data; they likely are Holocene. He also mentions that there are coproliteCoprolite
A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κοπρος / kopros meaning 'dung' and λιθος / lithos meaning 'stone'. They...
s of either sloth or horse. Thompson et al. (1980) point out that vegetation from pre-full-glacial middens from the shelter are more mesic than the terminal Pleistocene ones that lack oak, and pinyon pine
Pinyon pine
The pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
is rare).
This is the type locality of Stockoceros conklingi (Conkling's Pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
).
The fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
l list includes one or more citations for each taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
. UTEP indicates specimens are deposited in the Resource Collections of the Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum
Centennial Museum
The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is a cultural history and natural history museum in El Paso, Texas, United States.The Centennial Museum is located on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. Its cultural focus is on the indigenous, colonial, pre-urban, and folk cultures...
, University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
.
The Los Angeles County Museum has a large collection from Shelter Cave, including the type of Stockoceros conklingi. Most of the material has yet to be studied.
Fauna
AMPHIBIA- Scaphiopus cf. couchiiScaphiopus couchiiCouch's Spadefoot Toad is a species of North American spadefoot toad. The epithet couchii is in honor of American naturalist Darius Nash Couch, who collected the first specimen while on a personal expedition to northern Mexico to collect plant, mineral and animal specimens for the Smithsonian...
Brattstrom 1964 - Rana cf. pipiens Brattstrom 1964
REPTILIA
- Gopherus agassizii Brattstrom 1961, 1964; Van Devender et al. 1976; UTEP
- Eumeces obsoletus Brattstrom 1964
- Phrynosoma cornutum Brattstrom 1964
- Crotaphytus collaris Brattstrom 1964
- Coluber constrictorColuber constrictorColuber constrictor is a species of nonvenomous, colubrid snakes commonly referred to as the eastern racers. They are primarily found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but they range north into Canada, and south into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize...
Brattstrom 1964 - Masticophis flagellumMasticophis flagellumMasticophis flagellum is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as coachwhips or whip snakes, with seven recognized subspecies.- Geographical range :...
Brattstrom 1964 - Lampropeltis getula Brattstrom 1964
- Pituophis melanoleucus Brattstrom 1964
- Elaphe subocularis Brattstrom 1964
- Trimorphodon biscutatusTrimorphodon biscutatusThe Western Lyre Snake is a mildly venomous colubrid snake native to the western United States, northern Mexico, and Central America.- Description :...
UTEP - Crotalus atroxCrotalus atroxCrotalus atrox, the "western diamondback rattlesnake", is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the United States and Mexico. It is likely responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in northern Mexico and the second greatest number in the USA after C. adamanteus. No subspecies are...
Brattstrom 1964
AVES
- Anser ? albifrons Howard and Miller 1933
- Anas acuta Howard and Miller 1933
- Anas crecca Howard and Miller 1933
- Cathartes aura Howard and Miller 1933
- Breagyps clarki Howard 1971 (Specimen reported as Gymnogyps californianus by Howard and Miller 1933)
- Accipiter striatus Howard and Miller 1933
- Buteo jamaicensis Howard and Miller 1933
- Buteo swainsoni Howard and Miller 1933
- Buteo ? albonotatus Howard and Miller 1933
- Buteogallus fragilisButeogallusButeogallus is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. All members of this genus are essentially Neotropical, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into extreme southern USA. Most are known as black-hawks or mangrove-hawks...
Howard and Miller 1933 - Aquila chrysaetos Howard and Miller 1933
- Polyborus plancus prelutosusCaracaraCaracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
Howard and Miller 1933 - Falco peregrinus Howard and Miller 1933
- Falco sparverius Howard and Miller 1933
- Centrocercus urophasianus Howard and Miller 1933
- Meleagris crassipesTurkey (bird)A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
Rea 1980 - Callipepla squamata Howard and Miller 1933
- Lophortyx sp. Howard and Miller 1933
- Oreortyx pictus Harris 1985; Howard and Miller 1933
- Porzana carolina Howard and Miller 1933
- Fulica americana Howard and Miller 1933
- LarusLarusLarus is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution . Many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges...
sp. Howard and Miller 1933 - Zenaida macroura Howard and Miller 1933
- Geococcyx californianus conklingiGeococcyxThe roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America...
Harris and Crews 1983; Howard and Miller 1933 - Geococcyx californianus californianus Harris 1985; Howard and Miller 1933
- Tyto alba Howard and Miller 1933
- Otus asio Howard and Miller 1933
- Bubo virginianus Howard and Miller 1933
- Athene cunicularia Howard and Miller 1933
- Aegolius funereus Howard and Miller 1933
- Aegolius acadicus Howard and Miller 1933
- Aeronautes saxatalis Howard and Miller 1933
- Colaptes auratus Howard and Miller 1933
- Melanerpes formicivorus Howard and Miller 1933
- Sayornis saya Howard and Miller 1933
- Eremophila alpestris Howard and Miller 1933
- Pica pica Howard and Miller 1933
- Corvus corax Howard and Miller 1933
- Gymnorhinus cyanocephalusPinyon JayThe Pinyon Jay is a jay between the North American Blue Jay and the Eurasian Jay in size. It is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus, . Its overall proportions are very Nutcracker-like and indeed this can be seen as convergent evolution as both birds fill similar ecological niches...
Howard and Miller 1933 - Catherpes mexicanus Howard and Miller 1933
- Salpinctes obsoletus Howard and Miller 1933
- Turdus migratorius Howard and Miller 1933
- Sialia sp. Howard and Miller 1933
- ToxostomaToxostomaToxostoma is a genus of bird in the Mimidae family. All members of this genus are called thrashers but there are other birds in the Mimidae family also bearing this title...
sp. Howard and Miller 1933 - Oreoscoptes montanus Howard and Miller 1933
- Lanius ludovicianus Howard and Miller 1933
- Molothrus ater Howard and Miller 1933
- Pyelorhamphus molothroides Howard and Miller 1933
- Carpodacus mexicanus Howard and Miller 1933
- Pipilo erythrophthalmus Howard and Miller 1933
- Pipilo fuscus Howard and Miller 1933
- Calamospiza melanocorys Howard and Miller 1933
- Amphispiza bilineata — very recently entombed according to Howard and Miller 1933.
MAMMALIA
- Notiosorex crawfordi Harris 1985
- Nothrotheriops shastensisGround slothGround sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths, in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. Their most recent survivors lived in the Antilles, where it has been proposed they may have survived until 1550 CE; however, the youngest AMS radiocarbon date reported is 4190 BP, calibrated to c. 4700 BP...
Harris 1985 - Lepus californicus UTEP
- ? Geomyidae Harris 1985
- Neotoma cinerea Harris 1985; UTEP
- Microtus cf. montanus Smartt 1977; UTEP
- Canis latrans Harris 1985
- UrocyonUrocyonThe genus Urocyon is a genus that contains two living Western Hemisphere foxes in the family Canidae, the Gray Fox and the closely related Island Fox which is a dwarf cousin of the Gray Fox; as well as one fossil species, Urocyon progressus.Urocyon and the...
/VulpesVulpesVulpes is a genus of the Canidae family. Its members are referred to as 'true foxes', although there are species in other genera whose common names include the word 'fox'....
Harris 1985 - Taxidea taxus Harris 1985
- Spilogale sp. Harris 1985 as ]]Spilogale putorius]]
- Mephitis mephitis Harris 1985
- Lynx rufus Harris 1985
- EquusEquidaeEquidae is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, donkeys, and zebras, and many other species known only from fossils. All extant species are in the genus Equus...
sp. (large) Harris 1985 - Equus sp. (small) Harris 1985; UTEP
- CamelopsCamelopsCamelops is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene about 10,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Greek κάμελος + , thus "camel-face."-Background:...
sp. Stock 1932a - OdocoileusOdocoileusOdocoileus is a genus of medium-sized deer containing two species native to the Americas. The name is sometimes spelt odocoeleus; it is from a contraction of the roots odonto- and coelus meaning "hollow-tooth".-Species:...
sp. Harris 1985 - Stockoceros conklingi Stock 1930
- Capromeryx sp. Harris 1985
- Ovis canadensis Harris 1985