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The Desert Tortoise (Xerobates Agassizii) in the Prehistory of the Southwestern Great Basin and Adjacent Areas

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The Desert Tortoise (Xerobates Agassizii) in the Prehistory of the Southwestern Great Basin and Adjacent Areas UC Merced Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology Title The Desert Tortoise (Xerobates agassizii) in the Prehistory of the Southwestern Great Basin and Adjacent Areas Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/25v1x5pm Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 11(2) ISSN 0191-3557 Authors Schneider, Joan S. Everson, G. Dicken Publication Date 1989-07-01 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 175-202 (1989). The Desert Tortoise (Xerobates agassizii) in the Prehistory of the Southwestern Great Basin and Adjacent Areas JOAN S. SCHNEIDER and G. DICKEN EVERSON, Dept. of Anthropology, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521. X HE importance of the desert tortoise western pond turtle and the desert tortoise {Xerobates agassiziif to the aboriginal peoples overlap in portions of this region so that of the southwestern Great Basin and adjacent specific attention is directed to these two areas has not been fully recognized. This lack species in the first part of this paper. Similar of recognition can be attributed to several archaeological problems may exist in other factors, including meager information re­ areas where species ranges overlap (e.g., Ho- garding the biology and ecology of the species, hokam sites in Arizona). confusion of terminology and the overlapping Faunal analysts should be aware that both of ranges of members of the order Testudines, turtle and tortoise remains can occur at ar­ meager archaeofaunal data and a lack of a chaeological sites in areas where their ranges synthetic view of the data that are available, overlap or where there is a possibility that and a paucity of ethnographic information. these animals, or objects derived from them, The generic name "turtle" (order Testud­ were exchanged. Environmental and cultural ines) incorporates 12 families of turtles and interpretations that are based in part on tortoises living today. Of these, seven are faunal remains should consider that while represented on the North American continent. turtle and tortoise elements may be confused, The 18 genera (see Note 1) comprising these ecological requirements and seasonal avail­ seven families have 48 species (Behler and ability generally are very different for the two King 1979). Several species are represented reptilian genera. in faunal collections from archaeological sites The second part of this paper narrows the in the geographical area with which this paper focus to the desert tortoise, the remains of is concerned. These include the desert tor­ which are present in many sites in the south­ toise, the western pond turtle (or Pacific pond western Great Basin and adjacent eastern turtle), the western box turtle, and several areas (Tables 1-3; Fig. 1). The major portion species of mud turtles. All the turtles (with of the ethnographic literature search and the the exception of the western box turtle) re­ synthetic discussion is focused on this animal. quire a year-round source of water; the desert tortoise is entirely terrestrial. These ecologi­ DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY cal requirements have far-reaching archaeo­ Western Pond Turtle {Clemmys marmorata) logical and ethnological implications. The western pond turtle inhabits ponds FOCUS OF THIS STUDY and marshes, slow-moving streams, brackish This study is focused on the desert areas water, and lakes with abundant vegetation. of California and Nevada. The ranges of the The general range of the southwestern sub- 176 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY y 4> 4J O 4> o &" <J u u I ESE > J- .Q ^jaj3 15 4> u u iH ti ^ ^- W .ti -^ a f •§ f O,^ -a J « a j> « g O.O. ^ * * * .£ -S .S J3-J3 •..3. _^ ---.'o •« =•= sp.=^ _. e'e ti'd'c'SMMCC u.J3S -^Jc'.SJS J33 •0.cStS= ^ Cl. a. p. 0.4 p. 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