Problems of antiquity presented in Gypsum Cave, Nevada

Abstract

Excavations conducted by the California Institute in cooperation with the Southwest Museum in Gypsum Cave, near Las Vegas, Nevada, reveal the presence of several mammalian types, including the extinct ground sloth (Nothrotherium), horse (Equus), mountain sheep (Ovis), and camel (Tanupolama?). The better preserved remains are found in a deposit consisting in large part of sloth dung. The most striking feature of the mammalian occurrence is the unusual preservation of the ground-sloth material. The collection includes in addition to the dung the horny sheaths of claws, hair, small pieces of skin, bits of dried flesh adhering to bones, as well as skull and skeletal elements. Artifacts have been found also in the deposits. The presence of remarkably well-preserved animal remains and cultural objects leads to a consideration of two questions of major importance in the history of Quaternary life in America: (1) Was man coexistent with some or all of the animal types recorded in the deposits? (2) What degree of antiquity in Quaternary time can be ascribed to the mammalian fauna and more particularly to those types found in the dung layer? The occurrence at Gypsum Cave resembles in several respects that recorded some thirty years ago in Eberhardt Cavern, Last Hope Inlet, Patagonia.

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