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Hunting in a tropical rainforest: evidence from the Terminal Pleistocene at Lobang Hangus, Niah Caves, Sarawak
Author(s) -
Piper P. J.,
Rabett R. J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.1046
Subject(s) - cave , pleistocene , rainforest , arboreal locomotion , tropical rainforest , taxon , geography , ecology , archaeology , habitat , biology
The Terminal Pleistocene zooarchaeological evidence from Lobang Hangus, an east‐facing entrance to the Niah Cave complex, provides unique insights into the hunting habits of the human inhabitants of this cave. The composition and structure of the vertebrate accumulation indicates that a variety of locally available terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic taxa were being exploited. The age structure of the principal predated species, the presence of bone points and evidence from modern rainforest hunting combine to suggest that some form of projectile weaponry as well as trapping technologies were probably being employed by the hunters at Niah before the end of the Pleistocene. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.