Documenting past South American camelid diversity at Telarmachay (Puna of Junín, Peru) using first phalanges morphometrics

Abstract

To get insights into the elusive process of the domestication of South American Camelids (SAC), we focused on the Central Andean zone and the long sequence from Telarmachay (Puna of Junín, Peru), for which an early process of domestication, dating 5500-5000 BP, has been proposed. We explored the camelid diversity of Telarmachay with a morphometric approach using modern guanaco and vicuña first phalanges. Our results support the previous identification of both wild camelids and indicated hunting practices. They also suggest earlier camelid anthropic control based on the occurrence of intermediate sized specimens. However, Telarmachay camelids require further investigated using a more powerful approach to access reliable proxies of changes in locomotor behaviors.