Reconstructing reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) mobility patterns through 3D GMM analysis of their phalanges
Résumé
Reconstructing the interactions between Palaeolithic human groups and their prey is
often complicated by a general lack of data on the ethology and ecology of past animal
communities. DeerPal is an interdisciplinary project aimed at applying different cutting
edge analytical techniques (dental microwear texture analysis, stable isotopic analysis,
cementochronology and geometric morphometrics [GMM]) to progress in this avenue. It
focuses on two archaeological periods (the Middle Palaeolithic of southwestern France
and the Late Glacial from the Pyrenees to the Paris-Basin) and two animal species that
were key to hunter-gatherer groups: reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and red deer (Cervus
elaphus). At the end of the Late Glacial, reindeer gradually disappeared from
southwestern Europe with the climate warming. As they became more fragmented
geographically, different responses should be expected, such as variation in their
migratory patterns (e.g. more or less sedentary groups, latitudinal vs. altitudinal
migration along the Pyrenees, etc.). As the migration behaviours of reindeer herds during
this period are largely unknown, it is difficult to interpret Late Glacial socio-economic
organization and mobility strategies. In this contribution, we present the first results
acquired by GMM on reindeer phalanges from modern populations.
Due to the fact that locomotor morphological adaptations are closely related to habitat
preferences and mobility, it is possible to infer behavioural responses using an animal's
cranial and post-cranial morphology. GMM allows identifying subtle differences in size
and form between individuals of the same species.
For our study, a total of 155 first and third phalanges from different ecotypes of extant
caribou were scanned with a laser-surface 3D-scanner. Results acquired by the 3D-GMM
analysis of this reference sample allows a discussion of our capacity to identify
migratory/non-migratory reindeer in past populations. A similar methodology is then
applied to archaeological remains to test hypothesis on migratory behaviour of Late
Glacial reindeer populations