Geographical distribution of Pleistocene cold-adapted large mammal faunas in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Cold-adapted large mammal faunas reached the Iberian Peninsula during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene. A total of 75 Iberian sites yielded remains of the cold-adapted faunal complex which is composed of the species, Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth), Coelodonta antiquitatis (woolly rhinoceros), Rangifer tarandus (reindeer) and, to a lesser extent, Gulo gulo (wolverine), Alopex lagopus (arctic fox), Ovibos moschatus (musk-ox) and Saiga tatarica (saiga antelope). All published information about localities containing cold-adapted large mammal species has been compiled and interpreted according to its geographical location and chronology. Discussion is focused on examining European faunal corridors into Iberia, particularly during cold phases and concentrating on routes to the central and southern part of the peninsula. Three main episodes with presence of cold-adapted faunas appear to occur within the Iberian Peninsula. The geographic distribution of sites containing the remains of cold-adapted species differs among the three episodes. The oldest occurrence of cold-adapted taxa has been dated around 200–100 ka BP. During this time, the southern limit appears to be about 40°N latitude (∼Madrid). During the following episode, between 42 and 31 ka BP, the southernmost limit of cold-adapted fauna is identified by woolly mammoth ( M. primigenius) remains at Padul, Granada, (37°01′01′N) near the southernmost part of the peninsula. Cold-adapted species appear to be limited to the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula during the last episode, which occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Younger Dryas (YD).