Upper Pleistocene remains of Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827 from Biśnik Cave (Middle Palaeolithic) and their significance for stratigraphy and palaeoecology

Abstract

Remains of the steppe bison Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827 from the Upper Pleistocene layers of Biśnik Cave were morphometrically analysed and compared to those from other localities in Eurasia. The remains occurred in accumulations with archaeological artefacts. They bore traces of gnawing by carnivores. Morphometric analyses of the skull and post-cranial skeleton point to the small form of bison. The skull belonged to a small male while the bones of post-cranial skeleton indicate the occurrence of both males and females. Here we present all available and newly obtained calibrated 14C dates of the bison remains from this site, supplemented with new data for five specimens from Biśnik Cave, thus confirming the presence of the species during MIS 3 in Poland. The results are relevant to tracing the migration paths of the bison in the Upper Pleistocene during MIS 4-3.