Archaeological investigations have revealed that the diet of the inhabitants of Motul de San José included dogs ("Canis familiaris"), turtles including pond sliders ("Trachemys scripta") and Mesoamerican river turtles ("Dermatemys mawii"), freshwater snails (mostly "Pomacea flagellata" but also jute snails ("Pachychilus spp.")), white-tailed deer ("Odocoileus virginianus"), red brocket ("Mazama americana", a species of small deer), white-lipped peccary ("Tayassu pecari"), rabbits ("Sylvilagus spp."), lowland pacas ("Cuniculus paca"), Central American agouti ("Dasyprocta punctata") and nine-banded armadillos ("Dasypus novemcinctus"). Only the dog had been domesticated by the Late Classic Maya so the majority of protein in the diet of the inhabitants came from hunting and fishing within the catchment area around the city. The most common food animals were the white-tailed deer, river clam and river turtle. Some animal remains were recovered that were clearly associated with elite status occupation, such as those of the jaguar, the ocelot or other small feline and the crocodile ("crocodilus spp."). These latter three appear more related to ritual and economic activity than nutritional needs. Freshwater snails were more an ingredient in the diet of lower status families while deer remains were associated with the elite residents of the city.