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The Analysis of a Late Holocene Bison Skull from the Ashley National Forest, Utah

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The Analysis of a Late Holocene Bison Skull from the Ashley National Forest, Utah University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers National Park Service 9-2004 The Analysis Of A Late Holocene Bison Skull From The Ashley National Forest, Utah Kenneth P. Cannon National Park Service, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natlpark Cannon, Kenneth P., "The Analysis Of A Late Holocene Bison Skull From The Ashley National Forest, Utah" (2004). U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers. 58. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natlpark/58 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the National Park Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. THE ANALYSIS OF A LATE HOLOCENE BISON SKULL FROM THE ASHLEY NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH National Park Service - Midwest Archeological Center THE ANALYSIS OF A LATE HOLOCENE BISON SKULL FROM THE ASHLEY NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH By Kenneth P. Cannon Report Prepared for The Department of Agriculture United States Forest Service Ashley National Forest Vernal, Utah Ashley National Forest Report No. AS-04-1010 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Midwest Archeological Center Lincoln, Nebraska September 2004 This report has been reviewed against the criteria contained in 43CFR Part 7, Subpart A, Section 7.18 (a) and (1) and, upon recommendation of the Midwest Regional Office and the Midwest Archeological Center, has been classified as Available Making the report available does not meet the criteria of 43CFR Part 7, Subpart A, Section 7.18 (a) (1). Executive Summary In 2003 a partial bison skull was recovered understanding of bison ecology in the inter- by Ashley National Forest archeologist mountain west. In addition to metric analy- Brian Storm from an elevation of 3840 m sis of the skull, radiometric assay, and stable (12,600 ft) AMSL in the Uinta Mountains. isotope analyses were applied. The partial skull consists of a portion of the frontal, occipital region, and horn cores in- The radiocarbon age of the specimen is 150 cluding horn sheaths. The presence of the ± 40 yrs BP. The 2 sigma calibrated age is horn sheaths is of particular interest for the cal AD 1660 to 1950. Metric analysis of the ecological information they can provide. skull indicates it was an adult male, at least Through the analysis of the individual cones 10 years of age, that compares well with of the horn sheath a record of the animal’s Bison bison athabascae in size and is larger dietary and migration patterns can be ob- than either Bison bison bison specimens or tained. other high altitude bison. However, it is probable this individual represents a mem- The skull was recovered downslope of Gil- ber of the species Bison bison bison, but bert Peak in an alpine environment. Tundra phenotypic characteristics (e.g., large horn vegetation characterizes the area. size) may be the result of gene flow. More Downslope, and to the east, of the skull find definitive taxonomic placement of the Gil- is the headwaters area of the Uinta River. bert Peak bison may not be resolved without This boggy area is drained by Gilbert Creek genetic analysis. with wet meadow vegetation and Engel- mann spruce along the edge. Temporal and spatial gaps in the Holocene record of bison still exist and isolated skulls While high altitude bison remains have been can help fill them. Detailed analyses of discussed in the scientific literature periodi- these specimens can provide an understand- cally over the past 80 years they have not ing of the history, the paleoecology, and gone beyond the descriptive. The study of evolution of the species. The results of this this specimen focuses on a more complete study begin to fill this gap. i Acknowledgements To begin, I would like to express my grati- Joel Janetski, and Mary Sullivan for provid- tude to Dr. Byron Loosle, Heritage Program ing information on bison site locales. Dr. Leader for the Ashley National Forest Danny Walker, Dr. Jerry McDonald, Dr. Mi- (ANF), for supporting this research en- chael Wilson, and Dr. C.R. van Zyll de Jong deavor. I would also like to thank Clay also graciously provided me with informa- Johnson (ANF) for providing supporting tion on bison and access to their databases. information and Brian Storm (ANF) for making the long hike to retrieve the skull. Production of this manuscript is attributed to Also, thanks to Dr. Ralph Hartley of the a number of individuals: Molly Boeka Can- Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) for non (MWAC) produced the ArcGIS maps allowing me the opportunity to do the work. used in the report and Alan Smith photo- graphed the skull. I would also like to ac- A number of individuals have assisted me knowledge John Andresen, Dawn Bringel- over the years in understanding the applica- son, and Molly Boeka Cannon (MWAC) for tion of stable isotope analysis to mammal their editorial skills in helping to make this a ecology. These individuals include Dr. Sheri more concise document. Even though a Fritz, Dr. Alan Osborn, Dr. Larry Tieszen, number of people worked on this project, the and Dr. Susan Hughes. I would also like to interpretations presented here are mine and thank Mary Anne Davis, Kristen Jensen, Dr. any errors in the data reporting or interpreta- tion are my burden. ii Contents Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................................i Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................................iv Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Environmental Context.....................................................................................................................3 Introduction .........................................................................................................................3 Modern Environment ..........................................................................................................3 Regional Evidence of Bison .............................................................................................................9 Introduction .........................................................................................................................9 Southeastern Idaho and the Northeastern Great Basin ........................................................9 Southwestern Wyoming.....................................................................................................10 Colorado............................................................................................................................10 Summary ...........................................................................................................................10 Description and Examination of the Skull......................................................................................13 Description ........................................................................................................................13 Preparation ........................................................................................................................18 Radiocarbon Assay Results...............................................................................................19 Bison Taxonomy.............................................................................................................................23 Results of Stable-Isotope Analyses.................................................................................................27 Introduction .......................................................................................................................27 Stable Carbon Isotope........................................................................................................27 Stable Nitrogen Isotopes....................................................................................................33 The Western North American Isotopic Record..................................................................33 Results ...............................................................................................................................35 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................39 References ......................................................................................................................................41 Appendix A: Sites with Bison Remains .........................................................................................51 Appendix B: Provenience Information of Comparative Bison Specimens used in Analyses From Western North America.........................................................................................................53 Appendix C: Craniometric Data for High Altitude and Western Bison used in Comparative Study ...........................................................................................................................................55
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