NM: Eddy Co., ca. 3600 FT., 1100 M
General Description.—Shelter on south side of Dark Canyon, southwest of Carlsbad.
Age.—Emslie 1987: Date on UTEP condor specimen 75-262 (tibiotarsus) of 9,585 ± 310 BP (10921 ± 426 calendar) (AA-1490). Tebedge 1988: 20,120±420 BP (24136 ± 519 calendar)on "indeterminate mammalian (mostly Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla) postcranial bone fragments . . ." (Tebedge, 1988:30).
Comments.—Report of parrot by Howard (1971) evidently of archaeological material (pers. commun. Rea ?). Applegarth (1979) found no Cnemidophorus, unlike reported by Rickart (1977). Much archaeological material had been present in the cave.
Publications.—Applegarth 1979; (*Emslie 1987); (Harris 1985); (Harris and Crews 1983); Harris and Porter, 1980; Howard, 1971; Lundelius, 1979; Nowak, 1979; Tebedge, 1988; Rea 1973, 1980; Rickart 1977.
Fauna.—
The following is the list of birds identified by Howard (1971) from Dark Canyon Cave. Names are as given by Howard; some nomenclatural and taxonomic changes have occurred since then.
| Species | No. of Bones |
|---|---|
| Eared Grebe (Podiceps caspicus) |
2 |
| Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) |
1 |
| Extinct Sheldgoose (Anabernicula cf. oregonensis) |
1 |
| Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) |
2 |
| Pintail Duck (Anas acuta) |
2 |
| ? Green-winged Teal (Anas ? carolinensis)1 |
2 |
| Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) |
4 |
| Canvasback Duck (Aythya valisineria) |
1 |
| ? Merganser (? Mergus sp.) |
1 |
| Ancestral Condor (Gymnogyps amplus)2 |
17 |
| Western Black Vulture (Coragyps occidentalis) |
11 |
| Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi) |
1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) |
3 |
| Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) |
1 |
| Gray Hawk (Buteo nitidus) |
1 |
| Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) |
3 |
| American Neophron (Neophrontops americanus) |
4 |
| Swarth Falcon (Falco swarthi)3 |
2 |
| Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) |
5 |
| Sparrow Hawk (Falco sparverius) |
6 |
| Early Caracara (Caracara prelutosa)4 |
17 |
| Quail, 2 species? |
26 |
| Lesser Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus ? pallidicinctus) |
1 |
| Grouse, 2 species? |
2 |
| Turkey (Meleagris ? gallopavo) 5 |
2 |
| Mountain Plover (Eupoda montana) |
1 |
| Small, extinct Thickknee (Burhinus sp.) |
1 |
| Thickknee (Burhinus sp.) |
1 |
| Mourning Dove (Zenaidura macroura) |
3 |
| Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) |
1 |
| Parrot (Psittacidae sp.) |
1 |
| Conkling Roadrunner (Geococcyx conklingi) 6 |
2 |
| Barn Owl (Tyto alba) |
4 |
| Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) |
5 |
| ? Short-eared Owl (Asio ? flammeus) |
1 |
| Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia)7 |
2 |
| Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) |
1 |
| Raven (Corvus corax) |
10 |
| Small passerines, unidentified |
49 |
| Total |
200 |
1Anas ? crecca carolinensis
2Gymnogyps californianus
3Now recognized as Falco rusticolus (Emslie 1985a)
4Polyborus plancus prelutosus
5Meleagris crassipes (Rea 1980)
6Geococcyx californianus conklingi
7Athene cunicularia
Tebedge (1988) lists 43 taxa, as follows:
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Last Update: 22 July 2004.