A Late Pleistocene (MIS3) ungulate mammal assemblage (Los Rincones, Zaragoza, Spain) in the Eurosiberian–Mediterranean boundary

Abstract

The Late Pleistocene archaeo-palaeontological sites in the Iberian Peninsula are located mainly on the coasts. Here, we present for the first time a palaeoenvironmental proxy for Upper Pleistocene locality (Marine Isotope Stage 3 MIS3) that is in the interior peninsular, in the Moncayo massif (Zaragoza). This is actually the boundary between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian climatic regions. This study is based in the site ungulates: Capra pyrenaica, which is larger in size than the current and fossil Capra from the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. The horses have a small size, which is similar to that of the horses from Fontainhas and Casares. Significantly lesser in the number of specimens are the roe deer, the southern chamois and the auroch. The study and comparison of the faunal assemblage of the locality of Los Rincones with other sites of the Iberian MIS3 show a cluster of sites in the southern Peninsular, though separated, due to the abundance of Capra pyrenaica. The association of Los Rincones is similar to the southern peninsular sites such as Nerja, Gorham Cave, Cova Beneito and Zafarraya. The ungulate assemblage of Los Rincones represents a landscape with temperate climate, presence of steppe and patches of forest, similar to the current landscape surrounding the cavity today.

Keywords::

• ungulates
• Iberian Peninsula
• Late Pleistocene
• Capra pyrenaica
• Equus ferus

Acknowledgements

We thank the Centro Espeleológico de Aragón (Speleological Centre of Aragon), in particular Mario Gisbert, for the discovery and topography of the cave. The Government of Aragon, the CEA (Centro de Espeleología de Aragón) and the University of Zaragoza have partially subsidised the palaeontological activities at Los Rincones. This study forms part of the projects ‘Grupos Consolidados H54’ of the Government of Aragon and IUCA (Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Ambientales) and CGL2012-38434-C03-01. The first author (VS) also thanks Alfred Sanchis (MPV), Josefina Barreiro and Patricia Pérez (MNCN), Julio Ramón (MAPH), Mario Laurino (IAN) José Ignacio Canudo (MPZ), Henriette Obermaier (LMU) and Caroline Lang (ZSM) for allowing him to study the material for comparison, as well as Lourdes Montes, Pillar Utrilla and MA Fernanda Blasco for granting access to unpublished data on Gabasa as well as their valuable comments. He also thanks Raquel Rabal and Cristina Sola for their comments and discussion on taphonomy; Véra Eisenmann for her discussions and clarifications on horses; Jorge Colmenar for his help with the photographs, and Francisco Gutierrez and Ira Sasowsky for their valuable comments about karst and geology. Rupert Glasgow revised the English grammar. A particular thanks to palaeoartist Gianfranco Mensi for his precise reconstruction. The authors also thank Joan Madurell Malapeira and anonymous reviewer for the useful suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript. We are especially grateful for the comments and improvements of the editor Gareth Dyke. Finally, many thanks go to all the members of the excavation team of the 2009 and 2010 field campaigns at Los Rincones.

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Notes

^1. Email: [email protected]

^2. Email: [email protected]