I analyzed the fauna from the 1959-60 excavations lead by Keith Johnson and David Pendergast as a contract under the former, now retired from CSU Chico.

Preservation is remarkable, with desiccated tissues and fur still on the bone and marrow in long bone cavities. There is also no evidence that other animals were depositing bone at the cave in any great frequency, nor that scavengers were consuming the food debris left behind by people.

The majority of the specimens are leporids (rabbits and hares), dominated by black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), with smaller number of cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus sp.). Also present are artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates), specifically mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis).

The large number of jackrabbits present is suggestive of communal drives. The indigenous people of western North America were historically known to get together in large groups and “herd” jackrabbits, providing a bounty of animals to feast on and obtain rabbit skins. However, evidence for such activities at Antelope Cave is inconclusive (contact me for details if you are interested).