Stegodon orientalis from Panxian Dadong, a Middle Pleistocene archaeological site in Guizhou, South China: taphonomy, population structure and evidence for human interactions

The Dadong stegodont sample consists primarily of dental remains of young individuals less than 12 years of age with a minimum of 12 stegodonts represented. Based on the available archaeological, faunal and taphonomic data, the stegodont faunal assemblage at Dadong is probably a result of hominid activities (either hunting or scavenging) and the natural accumulation of young stegodonts from accidental deaths. This study supports the results of other analyses (Schepartz et al., 2003) that suggest humans played an important role in the formation of the Dadong faunal assemblage.