Mammalian Remains from Indian Sites on Aruba

Mr. H. R. VAN HEEKEREN and Mr. C. J. DU RY, of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde at Leiden, entrusted me with the identification of some animal remains collected from Indian sites on Aruba by Professor J. P. B. DE JOSSELIN DE JONG in 1923. These remains relate for the most part to marine turtles (Chelonia mydas L. and Caretta caretta (L.)), indistinguishable from the recent forms today living in the Caribbean Sea, but they do include also a small number of bones of mammals. These comprise a few items which are of sufficient interest to make it worth while placing the specimens on record. Five species of mammals are represented, three of which do not belong to the extant fauna of Aruba. The annotated list is given below. Details on the localities of Santa Cruz and Savaneta are to be found in Mr. VAN HEEKEREN’S recent account on the non-ceramic artifacts (VAN HEEKEREN, 1960).