TY - JOUR
T1 - The identification of extinct megafauna in rock art using geometric morphometrics:
T2 - A Genyornis newtoni painting in Arnhem Land, northern Australia?
AU - Cobden, Rommy
AU - Clarkson, Chris
AU - Price, Gilbert James
AU - David, Bruno
AU - Geneste, Jean-Michel
AU - Delannoy, Jean-Jacques
AU - Barker, Bryce
AU - Lamb, Lara
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Identifying extinct fauna in rock art is a common but difficult exercise. Here we use geometric morphometric analysis of shape to examine the oft-cited painting from Arnhem Land attributed by Gunn et al. to the long-extinct species Genyornis newtoni. We compare the shape of key anatomical features in this painting to anatomical depictions of Genyornis as well as to two other possible candidates e the emu and the magpie goose. Comparisons are also made to rock art depictions of these birds from northern Australia. We find that while the so-called ‘Genyornis’ painting does more closely resemble anatomical depictions of Genyornis than any other bird examined, all rock art images overlap in shape to such a degree that confident assignment of this image to any avian species is problematic.
AB - Identifying extinct fauna in rock art is a common but difficult exercise. Here we use geometric morphometric analysis of shape to examine the oft-cited painting from Arnhem Land attributed by Gunn et al. to the long-extinct species Genyornis newtoni. We compare the shape of key anatomical features in this painting to anatomical depictions of Genyornis as well as to two other possible candidates e the emu and the magpie goose. Comparisons are also made to rock art depictions of these birds from northern Australia. We find that while the so-called ‘Genyornis’ painting does more closely resemble anatomical depictions of Genyornis than any other bird examined, all rock art images overlap in shape to such a degree that confident assignment of this image to any avian species is problematic.
U2 - 10.1016/j.jas.2017.09.013
DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2017.09.013
M3 - Article
SN - 0305-4403
VL - 87
SP - 95
EP - 107
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science
JF - Journal of Archaeological Science
ER -