A delphinid petrosal bone from a gravesite on Ahu Tahai, Easter Island: taxonomic attribution, external and internal morphology.

Maëva Judith Orliac (1) , Catherine Orliac (2) , Michel C Orliac (2) , Antoine Hautin (1)

1 UMR ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier
2 ArScAn - Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité

In this contribution, we describe the external and internal morphology of a delphinid petrosal bone collected from Ahu Tahai, a burial site located on the Southwestern coast of Easter Island, at Hangaroa. We discuss the taxonomic attribution of this archaeological item and describe its internal structures based on µCT data, including the bony labyrinth and the nerve and vein patterns. Identification of the nerves exists lead us to relocate the identification of the foramen singulare in delphinid petrosals.

Mots clés: bony labyrinth; petrosal; Rapanui; Stapes; vestibulo cochlear nerve; bony labyrinth

Domaines: Paléontologie

Maëva Judith Orliac, Catherine Orliac, Michel C Orliac, Antoine Hautin. A delphinid petrosal bone from a gravesite on Ahu Tahai, Easter Island: taxonomic attribution, external and internal morphology.. MorphoMuseum, 2020, 6 (2), ⟨10.18563/journal.m3.91⟩. ⟨hal-03048902⟩