Late Pleistocene and Holocene fauna from Waterfall Bluff Rock Shelter, Mpondoland, South Africa

Abstract

Archaeological deposits from Waterfall Bluff Rock Shelter (Eastern Cape) span from Marine Isotope Stage 3 (~39–29 ka) to the mid-Holocene (~8 ka), showing persistent human occupations. The site’s consistent proximity to the shoreline and stable coastline over millennia makes it key for exploring human settlement patterns. This study reports on preliminary results of identifiable fauna from Marine Isotope Stage 3 to the Early Holocene layers at Waterfall Bluff. The identified species may suggest a mosaic environment, although caution is warranted given the small sample size. Furthermore, leopard seal remains were recovered in layers dating to the Last Glacial Maximum. This is the first direct evidence of a leopard seal recovered from Pleistocene and Holocene archaeo-faunal assemblages along the South African coast. Significance: Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) sites are rare in southern Africa. Waterfall Bluff in the Eastern Cape shows that human occupation persisted there from Marine Isotope Stage 3 to the mid-Holocene. A leopard seal tooth was identified in the LGM layers, making it the first evidence of this species recovered off South Africa’s coast.

Keywords

• palaeoenvironment
• archaeozoology
• Pleistocene–Holocene transition
• Marine Isotope Stage 3
• Last Glacial Maximum