First assessments of the taphonomic behaviour of jaguar (Panthera onca)

In this paper we analyse the taphonomic signatures of captive jaguars (Panthera onca) in order to explore the potential of experimental frameworks to distinguish between different felid agents in carnivore-altered palaeontological and archaeological bone assemblages. Many papers have considered carnivore ecology and the bone altering behaviour of different animals since the development of taphonomic research since the 1980's, as part of the hunter vs scavenging debate to understand early hominin sites. Hyenas have been the most studied carnivore, followed by felids and lastly canids. Within felids, lions and leopards have been the focus of most research, whereas other agents, such as jaguars or tigers are still relatively uncharacterised taphonomically. Here we present the results of an experimental feeding program to assess the nature and extent of alterations that captive jaguars can produce on horse (Equus ferus caballus) appendicular bones. Working with captive animals has some limitations, namely the generally greater extent of alterations on captive-analysed assemblages in relation to their wild counterparts. Despite this issue, we aim to start developing a broader referential framework of felid ethology that includes jaguars, a relevant taphonomic agent for understanding bone assemblages of the European and American Pleistocene. Therefore, in this preliminary study on the taphonomy of jaguars, we aim to show their prowess as bone-altering agent, capable of generating tooth-marks on long limb bone diaphyses and epiphyseal deletion. The taphonomic behaviour of jaguars has not been documented experimentally in any detail so far.