Well, I knew rodents Needed to keep there teeth "worn down" by
gnawing...but it puzzled me that they gnawed on small bone buttons...yet
I didn't see any snawing on the larger mammal bone remains...or shoe
leather (not hard enough?)....or other hard rubber items...  Why so few
items show gnawing? (at least in the few collections I have seen it in).
Obviously we wouldn't see the evidence if they gnaw on rocks (or
metal?).  But why do marmots single out car wires?  Why not the bumpers?
Tires? Battery? Hoses?  Or does this all mean they target 'small' size
things...since they have small mouths?  But...marmots aint so small.

Showing my ignorance again... 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
>Behalf Of Timothy Scarlett
>Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 6:39 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: avian bones get eaten...gnaw marks on artifacts
>
>> - - -
>> Has anyone else seen tiny gnaw marks on bone buttons, handles
>> (toothbrushes) and such...from rodents?  I wonder how common 
>this is, 
>> in dumped refuse?
>>
>> Also noticed this on hard rubber 'irrigators' (douche and 
>enema tubes) 
>> from a privy.  The bone, I can see the critters wanting calcium, or 
>> something...but rubber??
>
>
>This is extraordinarily common.  All members of Rodentia, as 
>well as the Lagomorphs (bunnies, hares, rabbits), 
>instinctively gnaw on almost anything.  It does not have to be 
>food.  They must gnaw to keep their teeth sharp and the correct size.
>
>"Despite their morphological and ecological diversity, all 
>rodents share one characteristic: their dentition is highly 
>specialized for gnawing. All rodents have a single pair of 
>upper and a single pair of lower incisors, followed by a gap ( 
>diastema), followed by one or more molars or premolars. No 
>rodent has more than one incisor in each quadrant, and no 
>rodent has canines. Rodent incisors are rootless, growing 
>continuously. Their anterior and lateral surfaces are covered 
>with enamel, but their posterior surface is not. During 
>gnawing, as the incisors grind against each other, they wear 
>away the softer dentine, leaving the enamel edge as the blade 
>of a chisel. This "self sharpening" system is very effective 
>and is one of the keys to the enormous success of rodents."
>
>If I didn't see gnaw marks at all on a site, I would have a 
>soil sample checked for toxicity.
>Cheers,
>Tim
>
>Quote from:
>http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/
>Rodentia.html
>
>
>Timothy Scarlett
>Assistant Professor of Archaeology
>Department of Social Sciences
>Michigan Technological University
>[log in to unmask]
>(906)487-2359 (office)
>(906)487-2468 (fax)
>------------------------
>