Date of Degree Completion
Master of Science (MS)
Dr. Patrick Lubinski
Second Committee Member
Dr. John Bowen
Third Committee Member
Professor Lourdes Henebry-Deleon
Zooarchaeologists cannot identify mammal species by their stylohyoid bones. Current trends in zooarchaeological research stress the need for rigorous and accessible identification methodology. I examined the stylohyoids of 15 hooved mammals: cattle, bison, domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, Dall sheep, mountain goat, domestic goat, elk, caribou, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, domestic pig, and horse. Objectives included documenting how to side the stylohyoid (left or right), and producing species identification criteria based on large samples. A total of 325 samples were measured from eight repositories. Written descriptions, photographs, and success ratios for metrics and distinct traits are included for each species. Results indicate that stylohyoids can be sided based on longitudinal curvature, and that broad categories such as large vs. small ungulates, medium categories such as family and genus, and several species can be identified with more than 90% probability using combinations of measurements and ratios.
Hale, Thomas A., "Species Identification of the Stylohyoid Bone for North American Artiodactyls" (2016). All Master's Theses. 344.
Available for download on Saturday, April 17, 2021