Size matters only sometimes: the energy-risk trade-offs of Holocene prey acquisition in the Bonneville basin, western USA

Abstract

This paper presents new zooarcheological data examining the relative abundances of artiodactyl and leporid remains from Holocene-aged sites in the Bonneville basin. Prior scholarship derived largely from sheltered sites suggests favorable climate conditions during the late Holocene increased foraging efficiency and supported a focus on hunting high-value artiodactyls. Using theoretical rationale from foraging theory and empirical data, we re-evaluate the trade-offs between the risk of hunting failure and energetic returns associated with the procurement artiodactyls and leporids, the two most common prey groups found in the regional zooarcheological record. The trade-offs between risk and energy show that while small in body size, leporids are a low risk, reliable food source rather than an inefficient resource targeted only when high-ranked prey are unavailable. We present faunal data from more than 80 open contexts in the Bonneville basin dating to the late Holocene that show a relatively stable exploitation strategy centered on leporids, especially hares (Lepus sp.). Additional data from open and sheltered sites in neighboring areas show a similar pattern. The prehistoric reliance on small game is consistent with divergent labor patterns observed in the ethnographic and historic records of the area. We advocate for the evaluation of the trade-offs between risk and energy of different sized prey within a regional context, and the use of zooarcheological data derived from a large number of sites and different site types to infer prey exploitation patterns.