Late Pleistocene equids in eastern Beringia: dental characteristics and mortality profiles of Equus lambei from the Bleufish caves, Yukon Territories, Canada

The Bluefish Caves of northem Yukon, Canada, have yielded the earliest evidence of human occupation of Eastern Beringia. They have also provided us with the largest and most complex in situ late Pleistocene fauna ever recovered in this region, if not in all of Beringia. This paper presents research results on an important component of the Bluefish fauna, the equids (Equus lambei). More specifically, it presents data derived from the study of a relatively large sample of horse teeth recovered from the three caves. As well as contributing to the reconstruction of Full and Late Glacial landscapes in the Bluefish Basin, Eastern Beringia, this research contributes to our knowledge of the Late Pleistocene Beringian equid Equus lambei.