Kutikina Cave (Unit 2)
Basic information
Sample name: Kutikina Cave (Unit 2)
Reference: J. M. Garvey. 2006. Preliminary zooarchaeological interpretations from Kutikina Cave, south-west Tasmania. Australian Aboriginal Studies 1:57-62 [ER 3697]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Tasmania
Coordinate: 42° 20' 8" S, 145° 47' 54" E
Coordinate basis: estimated from map
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3697
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.01972
Min Ma: 0.01567
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Kutikina Cave (formerly Fraser Cave) is located on the east bank of the Franklin River in south-western Tasmania, at the head of a resurgence valley 35 m distant from and 10 m above the present river level".
Radiocarbon dates indicate Stratigraphic Unit 2 ranges from approximately 16 to 20 000 years BP.
Radiocarbon dates indicate Stratigraphic Unit 2 ranges from approximately 16 to 20 000 years BP.
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "Kutikina is a large cave, with the main chamber more than 12 metres wide, almost 20 metres long, and 5 metres high, with the floor rising in 700 mm high banks littered with stone tools and burnt artefacts on three sides".
A total of 75 000 stone artefacts and 250 000 bone fragments were collected from the approximately 0.67 cubic metres excavated".
"The overwhelming preponderance of a few large game species, substantial bone modification, and easy access to the cave, suggest the assemblage is a human accumulation".
A total of 75 000 stone artefacts and 250 000 bone fragments were collected from the approximately 0.67 cubic metres excavated".
"The overwhelming preponderance of a few large game species, substantial bone modification, and easy access to the cave, suggest the assemblage is a human accumulation".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 7257 specimens
Years: 1981
Sampling comments: "The excavation measured 1 metre wide and 1.3 metres deep. All material was wet-sieved using a three mm mesh sieve, with all stone, bone, charcoal and other artefacts collected".
Note: The faunal remains presented and discussed by Garvey (2006) do not include selected faunal material retained at the Australian National University. While this material has since been returned to Tasmania, this was sometime after the publication of the reference paper.
Note: The faunal remains presented and discussed by Garvey (2006) do not include selected faunal material retained at the Australian National University. While this material has since been returned to Tasmania, this was sometime after the publication of the reference paper.
Metadata
Sample number: 3885
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-02-10 13:51:55
Modified: 2023-04-29 05:43:53
Abundance distribution
16 species
5 singletons
total count 7257
geometric series index: 29.3
Fisher's α: 1.945
geometric series k: 0.5553
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.1193
Shannon's H: 0.2836
Good's u: 0.9993
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
• Find matching samples
Register
| Antechinus swainsonii | 4 | |
| Antechinus minimus | 2 | |
| also 6 Dasyuridae indet. | ||
| Cercartetus lepidus | 1 | |
| Pseudomys higginsi | 3 | |
| Pseudomys novaehollandiae | 1 | |
| Mastacomys fuscus | 28 | |
| Rattus lutreolus | 2 | |
| also 34 Muridae indet. | ||
| Dasyurus viverrinus | 7 | |
| Sarcophilus harrisii | 6 | 7.5 kg |
| Pseudocheirus peregrinus | 1 | |
| Trichosurus vulpecula | 4 | 2.1 kg folivore |
| Thylogale billardierii | 12 | 5.1 kg |
| Notamacropus rufogriseus | 6799 | 14 kg |
| "Macropus rufogriseus" | ||
| Vombatus ursinus | 385 | 29 kg |
| Macropus giganteus | 1 | 38 kg grazer |
| also 11050 Mammalia indet. | ||
| Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis | 1 | 32 kg insectivore-omnivore |