THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING, HELD VIA ZOOM.

Topic: Faunal Change in Southern California from a Zooarchaeological Perspective

Speaker: Susie Arter

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Zooarchaeology, the study of animal bones from archaeological sites, sheds light on human use of wildlife as well as the past distribution and abundance of less common, rare, and extirpated species in our region, a perspective that complements and extends the historical record. Faunal bone from various sites throughout San Diego County dating from 10,000 years before present to the mid-19th century reflect the exploitation of species such as the flightless sea duck Chendytes lawi, Sea Otter, Pronghorn Antelope, Lesser Canada Goose, Sandhill Crane, California Red-legged Frog, Arroyo Chub, Three-spine Stickleback fish, and more, while attesting to notable faunal changes in southern California.

Susan Arter is Co-Director of the San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory within the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Bird and Mammal Department. She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Anthropology from San Diego State University and The George Washington University respectively. Susan has 37 years of experience analyzing vertebrate faunal remains in the Near East and the United States. She has conducted zooarchaeological studies on vertebrate remains from historical and prehistoric archaeological sites in San Diego County over the past 23 years.