New record of pre-Hispanic Canis lupus familiaris in the lower Paraná wetland with evidence of perimeter sawing

Abstract

This paper presents a new record from a pre-Hispanic dog recovered from one archaeological site of the Paraná wetland, dated on the Late Holocene: Cerro Lutz. The element identified as Canis lupus familiaris is a proximal femur with sawing marks in the perimeter of the bone, which suggests that it was used for a technological purpose. Specific determination was made based on a morphometric study where femur bones of other pre-Columbian individuals from C. l. familiaris and other wild canid species (Cerdocyon thous, Dusicyon avus and Licalopex griseus)that inhabited the study area were analysed. This study suggests that the femur could belong to a medium-sized individual, similar to the first sample found in Cerro Lutz and the one recovered in CH2D01-II archaeological site in Uruguay. From technological aspects, we know that this bone would have been discarded in the manufacturing process of an artifact, probably a hollowed point. For the study area, it is the first record of using a pre-Columbian dog as raw material.

Keywords
Pre-Hispanic Canis lupus familiaris; Lower Paraná; Femur; Perimeter sawing