Boomplaas Cave (Member BRL)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member BRL)

Reference: J. T. Faith. 2013. Taphonomic and paleoecological change in the large mammal sequence from Boomplaas Cave, western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 65(6):715-730 [ER 3779]
Geography
Country: South Africa

State: Western Cape

Coordinate: 33° 22' 14" S, 22° 10' 31" E
Latlng basis: stated in text

Time interval: Pleistocene - Holocene

Section: 3779

Unit number: 3

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.010425

Min Ma: 0.0091

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa".
The BRL member of the deposit has been radiocarbon dated to between 10, 425 ± 125 BP and 9100 ± 135 BP (12, 613–9866 cal. BP).

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: cave, human accumulation

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "Boomplaas Cave contains a stratified sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) deposits spanning the last 65, 000 years. People were the primary accumulators of the faunal remains in the LSA assemblages younger than ∼18, 000 years ago (CL to BLD). In the LSA and MSA deposits dating from 18, 000 to 50, 000 years ago (BOL to GWA), a combination of humans, carnivores, and raptors accumulated the faunal remains, while the lowermost units were accumulated by carnivores and raptors".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 855 specimens

Sampled by: H. J. Deacon

Years: 1974 - 1979

Net or trap nights: 0

Basal area status: not applicable

Sampling comments: "Excavations were conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979. In 2009 and 2010, taphonomic and taxonomic data were collected on thousands of previously unsorted specimens, in addition to those previously examined. All MSA and LSA units were examined with the exception of the uppermost pastoralist levels (member DGL)".

Metadata
Sample no: 4084

Contributor no: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-23 13:02:26

Modified: 2023-05-30 04:57:03

Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
24 species
7 singletons
total count 855
geometric series index: 40.4
Fisher's α: 4.586
geometric series k: 0.7855
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8361
Shannon's H: 2.1403
Good's u: 0.9918
Register
Lepus capensis 46
Bunolagus monticularis 94
also 18 Leporidae indet.
Hystrix africaeaustralis 1415.0 kg
Papio ursinus (chacma baboon)7820.0 kg
Herpestes pulverulentus (Cape grey mongoose)3
Caracal caracal (caracal)1
"Felis cf caracal"
Felis sp. 1
Procavia capensis (rock hyrax)2582.8 kg
Equus sp. 53
zebra/quagga
Potamochoerus larvatus (bushpig)138.0 kg
also 3 Suidae indet.
Taurotragus oryx (common eland)9
Tragelaphus strepsiceros (greater kudu)11189.0 kg
also 8 Tragelaphini indet.
Hippotragus leucophaeus (bluebuck)4
Hippotragus equinus (roan)1246.0 kg
also 11 Hippotragus sp.
Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck)229.0 kg
Redunca arundinum (southern reedbuck)1
also 5 Redunca sp.
Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest)1
Damaliscus pygargus (bontebok)4
"Damaliscus dorcas", also 5 Alcelaphinae indet.
Caprinae indet.75
an unknown extinct species
Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok)3116.0 kg
Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer)162
Raphicerus melanotis (Cape grysbok)29.1 kg
Raphicerus campestris (steenbok)19.7 kg
also 83 Raphicerus sp. and 126 Neotragini indet.
Syncerus caffer (African buffalo)2548.0 kg