Tight Entrance Cave (Unit D)
Basic information
Sample name: Tight Entrance Cave (Unit D)
Sample aka: Unit Glory
Reference: G. J. Prideaux, G. A. Gully, A. M. C. Couzens, L. K. Ayliffe, N. R. Jankowski, Z. Jacobs, R. G. Roberts, J. C. Hellstrom, M. K. Gagan, and L. M. Hatcher. 2010. Timing and dynamics of Late Pleistocene mammal extinctions in southwestern Australia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107(51):22157-22162 [ER 3720]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Western Australia
Coordinate: 34° 4' S, 115° 1' E
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3720
Unit number: 1
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.119
Min Ma: 0.089
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Tight Entrance Cave (TEC) lies in the Leeuwin–Naturaliste Region, in southwestern Western Australia".
"The chronology of the TEC faunal succession was established via uranium-series, optically stimulated luminescence, and radiocarbon dating of samples excavated from a 21 square metre by 1.8 metre deep pit".
Unit D dates from 119 ± 2 ka to 89 ± 6 ka.
"The chronology of the TEC faunal succession was established via uranium-series, optically stimulated luminescence, and radiocarbon dating of samples excavated from a 21 square metre by 1.8 metre deep pit".
Unit D dates from 119 ± 2 ka to 89 ± 6 ka.
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: pitfall trap
Habitat comments: Tight Entrance Cave occurs within the Tamala Limestone, a coarse to medium-grained aeolian calcarenite".
"The ten superposed strata are composed predominantly of ‘clean’ quartz sands. Most units are separated by marker layers composed of moonmilk and limestone clasts, which accumulated as a slow ‘rain’ from the ceiling during hiatuses in sediment infilling".
"Most animals in the deposit were evidently pitfall victims, falling in alongside sediments and charcoal that were washed in via now-blocked solution pipes, although tooth marks on some bones suggest that carnivores played a minor accumulating role".
"The ten superposed strata are composed predominantly of ‘clean’ quartz sands. Most units are separated by marker layers composed of moonmilk and limestone clasts, which accumulated as a slow ‘rain’ from the ceiling during hiatuses in sediment infilling".
"Most animals in the deposit were evidently pitfall victims, falling in alongside sediments and charcoal that were washed in via now-blocked solution pipes, although tooth marks on some bones suggest that carnivores played a minor accumulating role".
Methods
Life forms: rodents, other large mammals, other small mammals, birds
Excluded forms: snakes, snails
Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash
Sample size: 1215 specimens
Years: 1996-2008
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "The Prideaux-Flinders University excavation commenced in January–February 1996. The excavation area was divided into a series of variably sized grids, with excavation proceeding according to unit using standard paleontological methods. Excavated sediment was sieved and resultant residues of small vertebrate remains then dried and sorted (picked) for taxonomically identifiable remains. Larger bones were cleaned, dried and stabilized with polyvinyl butyrate dissolved in acetone".
Prideaux et al. (2010) did not report the number of identified specimens. The counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a July 2022 visit to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, where the specimens were reposited.
Prideaux et al. (2010) did not report the number of identified specimens. The counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a July 2022 visit to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, where the specimens were reposited.
Metadata
Sample no: 3951
Contributor no: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-07-21 17:37:00
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:01:35
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
34 species
6 singletons
total count 1215
geometric series index: 50.0
Fisher's α: 6.492
geometric series k: 0.8347
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8062
Shannon's H: 2.1317
Good's u: 0.9951
Register
| Tachyglossus aculeatus (short-beaked echidna) | 1 | 2.9 kg |
| †Megalibgwilia ramsayi (echidna) | 2 | |
| †Thylacinus cynocephalus (thylacine) | 15 | |
| Dasyurus geoffroii (western quoll) | 66 | |
| Dasycercus cristicauda (crest-tailed mulgara) | 2 | |
| Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil) | 7 | 7.5 kg |
| Antechinus flavipes (yellow-footed antechinus) | 2 | |
| Isoodon obesulus (southern brown bandicoot) | 5 | |
| Perameles bougainville (western barred bandicoot) | 21 | |
| Phascolarctos cinereus (koala) | 6 | 9.1 kg |
| †Vombatus hacketti (wombat) | 6 | |
| †Zygomaturus trilobus | 18 | |
| †Thylacoleo carnifex | 14 | |
| Pseudocheirus occidentalis (western ringtail possum) | 9 | |
| Trichosurus vulpecula (common brushtail possum) | 4 | 2.1 kg |
| Bettongia lesueur (boodie) | 1 | |
| Bettongia penicillata (woylie) | 2 | |
| †Borungaboodie hatcheri | 1 | |
| Potorous gilbertii (Gilbert's potoroo) | 13 | |
| †Congruus kitcheneri | 4 | |
| Macropus fuliginosus (western grey kangaroo) | 204 | 40.0 kg |
| also 15 Macropodidae indet. | ||
| Notamacropus eugenii (tammar wallaby) | 1 | |
| Notamacropus irma (western brush wallaby) | 24 | |
| Protemnodon sp. | 15 | |
| possibly P. roechus | ||
| Setonix brachyurus (quokka) | 388 | 2.7 kg |
| †Sthenurus andersoni (short-faced kangaroo) | 1 | |
| †Metasthenurus newtonae (short-faced kangaroo) | 2 | |
| †Procoptodon browneorum (short-faced kangaroo) | 289 | |
| †Simosthenurus occidentalis (short-faced kangaroo) | 55 | |
| †Simosthenurus pales (short-faced kangaroo) | 10 | |
| also 56 Sthenurinae indet. | ||
| Dromaius novaehollandiae | 12 | 32.0 kg |
| Pseudomys occidentalis | 3 | |
| Pseudomys shortridgei | 1 | |
| also 2 Pseudomys sp. | ||
| Rattus fuscipes (bush rat) | 11 | |
| also various Rodentia indet. | ||