Natural Trap, MT, Data

Like the MC of Natural Trap, the third metatarsals (MT) were measured by John Howe (sheets I and II) and one student (sheets III and IV). The diagrams (Fig.1,2) show again that they did not measure the diaphysis depth (4) in the same way. There is no way to increase the measure 4 but there is a way to make in smaller : by measuring it just above the distal articulation, as was proposed by A. von den Driesch (1976). I assume that John Howe used this way. In Table 1 are the original data and in Table 2 - the ones I have decided to use after discarding the diaphysis depth measured by John Howe and suppressing some redundant data.

The scatter diagram of proximal width versus maximal length (Fig.3) shows that some MT are different from the rest by their slenderness and/or their size. They will be discussed later. The bulk of the material has hemione-like slenderness but the size is larger.

Middle-sized slender MT (A. cf. pseudaltidens)
Statistics and Simpson’s diagrams bone by bone are in Table 3.

Large slender MT
Two specimens that may belng to the same animal (Fig.4).

A. leoni-like MT
I refer to A. cf. conversidens three MT (Fig.5). The Slaton Quarry data were published by Dalquest & Hugues (1965) and Dalquest (1967).

References

DALQUEST, W.W. & HUGHES, J.T., 1965.- The Pleistocene Horse Equus conversidens. The American Naturalist. Notes and discussions : 241-244.

DALQUEST, W.W., 1967.- Mammalls of the Pleistocene Slaton Local fauna of Texas. The Southwestern Naturalist, 12 : 1-30.

DRIESCH A. von den, 1976. - A guide to the measurement of animal bones from Archaeological sites. Peabody Museum Bulletins, Harvard University (1), 137p., 62 fig.