Pleistocene cave hyenas in the Iberian Peninsula: New insights from Los Aprendices cave (Moncayo, Zaragoza)
Citation:
Palaeontologia Electronica, 20.1.11A
Publisher:
Coquina Press
ISSN:
1094-8074
Mendeley
Spatial Study:
Moncayo, Zaragoza, España
Sponsorship:
Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza, España, Laboratorio de Zooarqueología y Tafonomía de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas , Argentina, Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, España, Centro de espeleología de Aragón, España, Unidad de Zaragoza, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, España, Laboratorio de Estratigrafía Biomolecular, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, España
Relation:
CGL2011-28681, CGR2014-5473-P, CGL2012- 38434-C03-01, 2014 SGR 416 GRC
Funder:
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, España, Generalitat de Catalunya, España
Type:
Postprint
Date:
2017-03-13
Abstract:
A new Pleistocene paleontological site, Los Aprendices, located in the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula in the area of the Moncayo (Zaragoza) is presented. The layer with fossil remains has been dated by amino acid racemization to 143.8 ± 38.9 ka (earliest Late Pleistocene or latest Middle Pleistocene). Five mammal species have been identified in the assemblage: Crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838), Lagomorpha indet, Arvicolidae indet and Galemys pyrenaicus (Geoffroy, 1811). The remains of C. spelaea represent a mostly complete skeleton in anatomical semi-connection. The hyena specimen represents the most complete skeleton ever recovered in Iberia and one of the most complete remains in Europe. It has been compared anatomically and biometrically with both European cave hyenas and extant spotted hyenas. In addition, a taphonomic study has been carried out in order to understand the origin and preservation of these exceptional remains. The results suggest rapid burial with few scavenging modifications putatively produced by a medium sized carnivore. A review of the Pleistocene Iberian record of Crocuta spp. has been carried out, enabling us to establish one of the earliest records of C. spelaea in the recently discovered Los Aprendices cave, and also showing that the most extensive geographical distribution of this species occurred during the Late Pleistocene (MIS4-2).
Subject:
Pleistocene, Crocuta spelaea, taphonomy, distribution, Iberian Peninsula
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