Seasonal Migration of Bison Antiquus from Rancho La Brea, California
AbstractEvidence for annual seasonal migration of extinct Bison antiquus in the late Pleistocene fossil assemblage from Rancho La Brea, California, is demonstrated for the first time. The maturation of individuals from the B. antiquus sample was analyzed using the cheek tooth eruption sequence and occlusal wear patterns in juvenile and young adult inferior dentitions. Individual age of the specimens was established by comparison with wear stages observed in modern B. bison dentitions of known age. Assuming that reproductive behavior was restricted to a specific annual cycle similar to modern B. bison, B. antiquus was seasonally present at Rancho La Brea during the late spring. An annual migratory pattern is indicated by the presence in the assemblage of yearly groups of young individuals of the same age.