Denisovan Ancestry in East Eurasian and Native American Populations

03 December 2014

Flying duck, wolf and rabbit figures combined in a polymorphic limestone sculpture from The Old Route 66 Zoo site

Flying duck with head at left and split tail feathers at right
Stacy Dodd and Rod Weber find, The Old Route 66 Zoo site, #23JP1222 near Joplin, Missouri 

Wolf bust view interpretation by Stacy Dodd, looking right, where the split tail feathers of the duck figure become the ears on the wolf figure. The wolf has been given a manufactured eye cavity in the stone in correct anatomical position which helps confirm the artifact status of this piece. The rather squared off shape of the animal's muzzle here could possibly reflect a representation of the now extinct dire wolf.

Standing rabbit figure in left 3/4 profile view

The simultaneous artistic realization of three, and perhaps more, animal figures in one sculpture places this art at a very high level of sophistication well beyond simple representation. The combination of these three animals here may have had some culturally determined or implied meaning, like elements of a kind of picture language.


The flying duck image at top becomes side 2 of the rabbit figure when rotated 90 degrees right. The rabbit is in right profile in this perspective. The rabbit and the duck share the same eye element on the stone.

The duck and rabbit combination sculpture is seen in several examples on this blog. This is the first time a canine has been seen in the mix.

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