Bone damage patterns found in the avian prey remains of crested caracara Caracara plancus (Aves,Falconiformes)

The following paper presents the results of the analysis of the avian prey bones found in uneaten remains of crested caracara (Caracara plancus, Aves, Falconiformes) from La Pampa province, Argentina. Anatomical parts representation and taphonomic modifications were evaluated and compared to results of the evaluation of bone remains recovered from crested caracara’s pellets and to previous studies of other diurnal birds of prey. The results suggest a preferential consumption of some body parts of avian prey, as evidenced in the high frequency of wing elements in the uneaten prey remains. This analysis helps to support interpretative data concerning the origins of avian remains in the zooarchaeological and paleontological record, and contributes to the knowledge of a common predator found throughout diverse environments in South America.     

技术视角下西方骨器研究的理论与实践

骨器是以骨、角、牙、蚌为原料,运用多种技术制作而成的副产品、工具和装饰品.近年来,在石器研究的影响下,西方骨器研究经历了四个逐渐发展完善的阶段,并在骨原料生物力学特性、埋藏学、操作链和时空分布模式等理论基础上,通过多学科相结合的分析方法和技术手段进行骨料选择和利用、功能分析、象征意义、特殊组合等多方面的研究,从经济和社会双重维度复原古代社会.相比之下,中西方骨器研究层次存在较大差异,要从传统研究和技术分析相结合的角度探索中国骨器研究的独特范式.     

Non-marine ostracods from two Quaternary profiles at Pulbeena and Mowbray Swamps,Tasmania

Two spring-fed swamp deposits in northwestern Tasmania which contain non-marine ostracods are characterized by an alternation of marl, peaty marl and peaty layers: the Pulbeena Swamp deposit (4.80 m thick) was formed over approximately the last 80,000 years, and Mowbray Swamp (2 m thick) over about the last 110,000 years. Fifteen ostracod species have been recovered from 179 samples: three are new, three are in open nomenclature and the others have living representatives.

The ostracod data compared with pollen curves for both sites demonstrate, for most levels, a good correlation between the abundance of ostracods and that of Cyperaceae and Potamogeton-Triglochin pollen. This implies that ostracods can be successfully used as indicators of different water regimes for spring-fed swamps. Comparison of the ostracod fauna from the two Tasmanian sites is also made with that of other known Australian and New Zealand swamp deposits.     

Interpreting for the Afghanistan Spanish Force

The participation of interpreters as linguistic and cultural mediators is considered essential to the success of military operations in a foreign country. This study examines the situation of two categories of civilian interpreters who worked for the Spanish armed forces in Afghanistan: interpreters recruited in Spain and interpreters recruited in Afghanistan. The distinct positionalities of these groups of interpreters emerge as a recurring theme in the interviews carried out as part of this research. The findings indicate that the interpreter’s positionality impacted the interpreter’s agency, the trust placed in him or her by the armed forces, and exposure to danger. In highlighting interpreters’ active participation in the communicative situation, this paper increases understanding of the positionality of interpreters in war zones.     

First record of the ichthyodectiform fish Xiphactinus (Teleostei) from Patagonia,Argentina

Abstract

We report the first record of the genus Xiphactinus from southern South America. The recovered fossil material consists of an associated maxilla and abdominal vertebra, probably derived from latest Maastrichtian marine deposits of the Salamanca Formation in Chubut Province, Argentina. Xiphactinus has been widely reported from Late Cretaceous strata throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although to date, equivalent Southern Hemisphere occurrences include only a single specimen from Venezuela. Our new discovery thus indicates that Xiphactinus had a much more cosmopolitan distribution, encompassing the southern paleolatitudinal extremities of South America during the terminal Cretaceous.

Julieta J. De Pasqua [julietadepasqua@gmail.com], Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo, 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina;

Federico L. Agnolin [fedeagnolin@yahoo.com.ar], Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo, 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina. CONICET; Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides; Hidalgo 775 piso 7, C1405BDB, Buenos Aires, Argentina;

Sergio Bogan [sergiobogan@yahoo.com.ar], Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides; Hidalgo 775 piso 7, C1405BDB, Buenos Aires, Argentina.