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Test Trench II (TT II), Dry Cave

NM: Eddy Co.; 1280 m.

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Location of the Test Trench II site

Age. 10,730 ± 150 (I-6200) on bone collagen; judging from fauna, this is too recent as often the case with bone dates. Based on the fauna, it probably is between 11,000 and 12,000 BP.

General Description. UTEP 54. The deposits are spill from the Bison Sink Fissure onto a ledge on the east side of Balcony Room (see diagrams at Dry Cave Introduction).

Discussion. This locality originally was part of UTEP 4 (Bison Chamber), but later assigned a separate locality number as it became clear that the two areas were separate in time.

Bison Sink, the origin of deposits in Dry Cave localities

Fig. 1. Surface view of Bison Sink, 12 June 1970. Now plugged, this is the source of the most recent Dry Cave deposits other than those from the current entrance. Photograph by A. H. Harris.


Fauna

Amphibia

Ambystoma mavortium—Barred Tiger Salamander (Harris 1993c)
Scaphiopus/Spea sp.—Spadefoot (Harris 1993c)
Anaxyrus punctatus—Red-spotted Toad (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Anaxyrus cognatus—Great Plains Toad (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Pseudacris triseriata—Western Chorus Frog (Harris 1993c)
Lithobates sp.—Leopard Frogs (Harris 1993c)

Reptilia

Crotaphytus collaris—Eastern Collared Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Phrynosoma cornutum—Texas Horned Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Phrynosoma hernandesi—Mountain Short-horned Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Phrynosoma modestum—Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Sceloporus cowlesi—Southern Plateau Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Aspidoscelis size A. tigris—Whip-tailed Lizard (Harris 1993c)
Coluber/Masticophis sp.—Racer/Coachwhip Snake (UTEP)
Lampropeltis getula—Common Kingsnake (UTEP)
Pantherophis emoryi—Great Plains Rat Snake (cf. gen. et sp.)
Pituophis catenifer—Gopher Snake
Salvador sp.—Patchnose Snakes
Trimorphodon vilkinsonii—Chihuahuan Lyre Snake
Crotalus sp.—Rattlesnake (Harris 1993c)
Heterodon nasicus—Western Hog-nosed Snake(UTEP)
Thamnophis sp.—Garter Snake (Harris 1993c)

Aves

Coragyps occidentalis—Western Vulture (Harris 1993c)
Buteo sp.—Buteo Hawk (Harris 1993c)
Tympanuchus pallidicinctus—Lesser Prairie-chicken (Harris 1993c)
Asio flammeus—Short-eared Owl (Harris 1993c)
Hirundo pyrrhonota/fulva—Cave or Cliff Swallow (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Colaptes auratus—Northern Flicker (Harris 1993c)
Corvus corax—Common Raven (Harris 1993c)

Mammalia

Ictidomys/Xerospermophilus sp.—Ictidomys/Xerospermophilus Ground Squirrel (Harris 1993c)
Dipodomys spectabilis—Banner-tail Kangaroo Rat (Harris 1993c)
Perognathus (Perognathus) sp.—Silky Pocket Mice (Harris 1993c)
Perognathus hispidus—Hispid Pocket Mouse (Harris 1993c)
Cratogeomys castanops—Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher (Harris 1993c)
Thomomys bottae—Botta's Pocket Gopher (Harris 1993c)
Thomomys talpoides—Northern Pocket Gopher (Harris 1993c)
Lemmiscus curtatus—Sagebrush Vole (Harris 1993c)
Microtus longicaudus—Long-tailed Vole (Harris 1993c)
Microtus mogollonensis—Mogollon Vole (Harris 1993c)
Microtus ochrogaster—Prairie Vole (Harris 1993c)
Microtus pennsylvanicus—Meadow Vole (Harris 1993c)
Neotoma cinerea—Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Harris 1984b)
Neotoma floridana—Eastern Woodrat (Harris 1993c: ?)
Neotoma micropus—Southern Plains Woodrat (Harris 1993c)
Onychomys leucogaster—Northern Grasshopper Mouse (Harris 1993c)
Peromyscus sp.—White-footed Mouse (Harris 1993c)
Reithrodontomys megalotis—Western Harvest Mouse (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Sigmodon hispidus—Hispid Cotton Rat (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Lepus californicus—Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Harris 1993c)
Sylvilagus audubonii—Desert Cottontail (Harris 1993c)
Sylvilagus nuttallii—Mountain Cottontail (Harris 1993c)
Cryptotis parva—Least Shrew (Harris et al. 1973)
Notiosorex harrisi—Harris' Shrew (Carraway 2010)
Sorex merriami—Merriam's Shrew (Harris 1993c)
Sorex neomexicanus—New Mexican Shrew (Harris 1993c)
Tadarida brasiliensis—Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Harris 1993c)
Eptesicus fuscus—Big Brown Bat (Harris 1993c)
Myotis velifer—Cave Myotis (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Canis latrans—Coyote (Harris 1993c)
Vulpes velox—Swift Fox (Harris 1993c)
Mustela frenata—Long-tailed Weasel (Harris 1993c)
Equus conversidens—Mexican Horse (Harris and Porter 1980)
Equus scotti—Scott's Horse (Harris and Porter 1980)
Hemiauchenia macrocephala—Big-headed Llama (Harris 1993c)
Capromeryx—Miniature Pronghorn (Harris 1993c: cf.)
Bison antiquus—Ancient Bison (Harris 1993c: cf.)

Literature Carraway 2010; Harris 1977, 1985a, 1989, 1993c; Harris and Porter 1980; Harris et al. 1973.

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Last Update: 19 Feb 2015