Archaeology and Biogeography of the Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) in the Puget Sound Region

Keywords: Zooarchaeology, Actinemys marmorata, Conservation biology, Biogeography, Washington State

Abstract

The modern distribution of the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) is discontinuous, with a historic but extirpated population in the Puget Sound region that was isolated from populations south along the Columbia River. To better understand this distribution, a review of the archaeological literature for the Puget Sound region was conducted to determine the prehistoric biogeography of the species in the Puget Sound area. Western pond turtles are nearly absent from the regional archaeological record, represented at best by four tentative specimens. This may be explained by extremely low population levels throughout the Holocene at the northernmost extent of its range.

Author Biography

Jacob Fisher, Department of Anthropology California State University, Sacramento, CA

Jacob L. Fisher is a zooarchaeologist whose research centers on human behavioral ecology and the role faunal resources played in prehistoric foraging societies of western North America. 

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Published
2018-09-10
How to Cite
Fisher, J. (2018). Archaeology and Biogeography of the Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) in the Puget Sound Region. Ethnobiology Letters, 9(2), 180-188. https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.9.2.2018.1228
Section
Research Communications