Multi-taxa taphonomic analysis and cross-validation of observations: case study from pellets from Dominica (Lesser Antilles)

International audience; Palaeo- and neo-taphonomic analyses rarely consider the whole faunal spectra in a single study, and works concerning birds of prey as microvertebrate accumulators mostly focus on small mammals such as rodents. However, these predators often hunt and consume a large range of species, including small mammals but also amphibians, lizards, birds, insects and sometimes fishes. Remains of these taxa are frequently found in great abundance in palaeontological and archaeological context, especially in caves. It is thus mandatory to conduct global and multi-taxa taphonomic approaches in order to better characterize the predators at the origin of fossil microvertebrate accumulations and the taphonomic history of the deposits. The aim of this communication is to provide an example of such multi-taxa neo-taphonomic approach tested on falcon and owl pellets from Dominica (Lesser Antilles). We propose a new methodology allowing comparisons between different taxa (bats, amphibians, squamates, and birds) and also experiment a cross-validation process through the implication of two specialists for each group (ES+DC for small mammals, SB+CB for herpetofauna, MG+VL for birds) for a better reliability of the taphonomic observations.