Australian Archaeology

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Australian Archaeology

Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.au

Full Citation Details:

Smith, M. 1978. A note on the fauna from Devon Downs Shelter.

'Australian Archaeology', no.8, 19-21.

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Why d i d t h i s happen, t h i s t e r r i b l e e x t i n c t i o n ,

t h i s l o s s o f l a r g e c r e a t u r e s from t h e A u s t r a l i a n dominion?

Some s a y i t was Man w i t h h i s e f f i c i e n t t o o l s , h i s r a p a c i o u s h u n g e r and h i s m u l t i p l i c a t i v e r u l e s ;

b u t o t h e r s blame t h e c l i m a t e which t h e y s a y changed o v e r n i g h t , l e a v i n g t h e c r e a t u r e s i n an i n e x t r i c a b l e p l i g h t .

But you a s k

me

a b o u t t h e e x t i n c t kangaroo.

A l l I can s a y i s t h a t I wish I knew why i t i s gone and what d i d i t do

t o d e s e r v e t o b e e x p e l l e d from God' S wondrous zoo.

Don Grayson

( C e r t a i n p o e t i c l i b e r t i e s have been t a k e n w i t h t h e p a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l r e c o r d )

A N O T E O N T H E F A U N A FROM D E V O N DOWNS S H E L T E R M. Smith

The Devon Downs r o c k s h e l t e r , o n t h e lower Murray i n S o u t h A u s t r a l i a , was t h e f i r s t a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s i t e t o b e s y s t e m a t i c a l l y e x c a v a t e d i n A u s t r a l i a (Hale and T i n d a l e 1 9 3 0 ) . The d e p o s i t spans t h e l a s t 5000 y e a r s o f A u s t r a l i a n p r e h i s t o r y . Between November 1976 and J u l y 1977 I re-examined t h e e x c a v a t e d m a t e r i a l from t h i s s h e l t e r and t h i s work i s d e s c r i b e d i n d e t a i l i n my BA t h e s i s (Smith 1977).

The g r e a t e r p a r t o f my t i m e was s p e n t s t u d y i n g t h e f a u n a 1 assemblage and t h e r e s u l t s o f t h i s p a r t of my work a r e summarised below.

Some 38 v e r t e b r a t e s p e c i e s , r e p r e s e n t e d by 261 a n i m a l s , a r e p r e s e n t i n t h i s a s s e m b l a g e . I n a d d i t i o n 1 0 s p e c i e s o f f r e s h w a t e r i n v e r t e b r a t e s were i d e n t i f i e d . The e x c a v a t e d a r e a is a b o u t 8% o f t h e t o t a l a r e a of t h e s i t e .

T h i s m a t e r i a l i s l i k e l y t o have accumulated by t h e a c t i o n s of p r e d a t o r s r a t h e r t h a n b y n a t u r a l m o r t a l i t y o r c a t a s t r o p h e . Most of t h e r e m a i n s , w i t h t h e p o s s i b l e e x c e p t i o n o f t h e r a t s and some of t h e l i z a r d s , a r e t h e f o o d remains o f a s i n g l e p r e d a t o r , man. The

c a r n i v o r e s , t h y l a c i n e , Tasmanian d e v i l , t i g e r c a t and d i n g o f r e q u e n t e d

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t h e immediate v i c i n i t y o f t h e s h e l t e r and a r e i n c l u d e d i n t h e f a u n a l assemblage b u t they a p p e a r n o t t o have been r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e accumulation of bones a t t h i s s i t e .

The most important s p e c i e s i n terms o f meat weight a r e t h e g r e y kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus and t h e Murray cod, MaccuZ loche Z Za peel& Because t h e meats of d i f f e r e n t a n i m a l s v a r y i n t h e i r c a l o r i f i c o r energy v a l u e s i t can be m i s l e a d i n g t o d e a l o n l y w i t h meat weight e s t i m a t e s when working o u t t h e r e l a t i v e importance o f t h e v a r i o u s s p e c i e s . T h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y s o w i t h s h e l l m e a t which i s a r e l a t i v e l y low energy meat (Thomas and Cordon 1970). I n t h i s assemblage, mammals make up about 60% of t h e e n e r g y ( e x p r e s s e d i n man/days) w h i l e f i s h p r o v i d e 15% and s h e l l f i s h 8%. The t o t a l amount of meat and energy e s t i m a t e d from t h e f a u n a l remains i s r e l a t i v e l y low c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t t h i s s i t e was used f o r 5000 y e a r s .

The immediate l o c a l environment would have p r o v i d e d t h e h a b i t a t r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r a l l t h e s p e c i e s e x p l o i t e d from t h e r o c k s h e l t e r . The eroded s c a r p s o u t h of t h e s i t e p r o v i d e s a c c e s s f o r t e r r e s t r i a l s p e c i e s t o t h e r i v e r f l a t s a d j a c e n t t o Devon Downs. A l l t h e r i v e r i n e s p e c i e s could have come from t h e main r i v e r c h a n n e l immediately i n f r o n t of t h e s h e l t e r .

Considering t h e l o c a t i o n of Devon Downs on t h e banks of t h e Murray, i t i s c u r i o u s t h a t r i v e r i n e s p e c i e s a c c o u n t f o r s o l i t t l e o f t h e meat and energy a t t h i s s i t e , e s p e c i a l l y s i n c e t h e ethnography f o r t h e a r e a c o n t a i n s many passages d e s c r i b i n g t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n of abundant r i v e r foods such a s f i s h , s h e l l f i s h and c r u s t a c e a n s (Eyre 1845). I f t h e r e l a t i v e importance o f t h e v a r i o u s s p e c i e s i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e s i t e a s a whole t h e n t h i s emphasis may b e e x p l a i n e d by o c c u p a t i o n i n w i n t e r , a t i m e when t h e n e c e s s i t y o f d i v i n g , swimming o r wading i n u n p l e a s a n t l y c o l d w a t e r t o c o l l e c t such foods may w e l l have discouraged t h e i r e x p l o i t a t i o n . I n s p r i n g and summer t h e annual f l o o d of t h e Murray i n u n d a t e s t h e r i v e r f l a t s a d j a c e n t t o t h e s h e l t e r l e a v i n g i t a t t h e end o f a l o n g narrow c u l - de-sac w i t h s h a l l o w f l o o d w a t e r s on one s i d e and a 30 m h i g h c l i f f on t h e o t h e r . One would need t o invoke v e r y s t r o n g c u l t u r a l p r e f e r e n c e f o r t e r r e s t r i a l s p e c i e s i f o c c u p a t i o n of t h e s h e l t e r d u r i n g s p r i n g o r summer i s t o b e s u g g e s t e d . The p r e s e n c e of emu e g g s h e l l and of g a s t r o l i t h s of t h e yabby, Cherax d e s t r u c t o r , i n t h e d e p o s i t a l s o s u g g e s t s u s e of t h e s i t e i n w i n t e r . I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o s p e c u l a t e t h a t t h e ethnography and t h e a r c h a e o l o g i c a l e v i d e n c e from t h i s a r e a a r e d e p i c t i n g d i f f e r e n t a s p e c t s of t h e same s u b s i s t e n c e c y c l e .

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Estimated amount o f meat and energy represented by the fauna1 remains f r o m Trench C

-

Devon Downs Shelter

Meat w t kg

Mammals 480

R e p t i l e s 49

B i r d s 55

F i s h 124

S h e l l f i s h 1 7 5 ( i n c l . c r a y f i s h )

T o t a l 883

% t o t a l meat w t

Energy man/days

% t o t a l energy

References

E y r e , E. J. 1845

JownaZs of Expeditions of Dhcovery. .

^.1840-41.

Vol. 11, London, Facsim. r e p r . Adelaide (1964)

Hale, H.M. and N. B. T i n d a l e 1930 Notes on some human remains i n the Lower Murray V a l l e y , S.A.

Australian Archaeology

Australian Archaeology

Full Citation Details:

Smith, M. 1978. A note on the fauna from Devon Downs Shelter.

'Australian Archaeology', no.8, 19-21.

me

-

JownaZs of Expeditions of Dhcovery. .

Rec.

Aust. Mus.

Devon D m reconsidered: an exercise i n

bioarchaeotogy.

Tables of c o ~ o s i t i o n of AustmZian

foods.

Department of Prehistory

Anthropo Zogy

!l%e AustraZian ~ a t i o n a z University