Dear Robert and April,

April, your understanding regarding articulation is correct. I also wanted to
say that your carnivore kill hypothesis remains a reasonable possibility and
one that cannot be completely discounted. I still have never seen one quite
like this though - lacking even cervical vertebrae? As to Robert's tossing of
a culinary animal under the door:

1) This is a very young animal - not a lot of meat on its bones recommending
it for human consumption

2) It was found in a small rounded pit next to a likely door posthole - hard
to see this as a "convenient hold". Other animal remains (these for the most
part with butchering and/or gnaw marks) from the cabin site were found strewn
throughout the midden areas beneath and around the building - none in small
self-contained pits and none resembling the racoon situation otherwise.

Maureen


>===== Original Message From HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]> =====
>--- "Robert L. Schuyler" <[log in to unmask]>
>wrote:
>> Did I miss something in this discussion or has
>> someone suggested they
>> ate that raccoon and then tossed part of the left
>> overs into a convenient
>> hold near the door.
>
>My understanding is that it is articulated, minus the
>ribs and vertebra hence not a food item.
>
>-April
>___________________
>April M. Beisaw, RPA
>Zooarchaeology and Taphonomy Consulting
>[log in to unmask]
>http://www.taphonomy.com
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>
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