The carnivore remains from the hominid-bearing Trinchera-Galería, Sierra de Atapuerca, Middle Pleistocene site (Spain)

Abstract

The carnivore assemblage of the hominid-bearing Trinchera-Galería karst-fill includes Cuon alpinus europaeus, Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes, Panthera leo, Lynx pardina spelaea, Felis silvestris, Ursus spelaeus, Meles meles and Mustela sp. Modern analogues of this assemblage inhabit temperate montane forest. The unusual scarcity of hyaena remains might be a consequence of the hominid presence. The presence of Canis lupus and a relatively derived lynx, point to a post-Cromerian Middle Pleistocene age. However, the existence of Ursus spelaeus,, limits the age to at least a terminal Middle Pleistocene when the transition from U. deningeri to U. spelaeus is considered to have occurred.