Dolina Site Research Articles

Ursus dolinensis: a new species of Early Pleistocene ursid from Trinchera Dolina, Atapuerca (Spain)

Bear remains coming from the lowermost levels of the Trinchera Dolina (TD) site at Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain) are here described as belonging to a new species. The TD bear presents a combination of primitive and derived characters that distinguishes it from all other Pleistocene bears. The slender morphology of the mandible is Ursus arctos and Ursus etruscus-like; however, it also shows some derived characters that are on the line of the speloid bears. Based on these observations, we consider this species to be the ancestor of U. savini and to be very close to the common ancestor of Ursus arctos. The chronology of the studied remains is placed between 0.9 and 0.78 Ma.

Small mammal taphonomy and the middle Pleistocene environments of Dolina, northern Spain

Abstract The study of past ecosystems can be complex due to taphonomic processes. These processes may alter the spatial and temporal location of fossils during site formation. The Dolina site (Burgos, Spain) provides an example of the contribution of taphonomy to the interpretation of the past environments. This site belongs to the Atapuerca-Ibeas cave complex with extensive evidence of human activity throughout the Pleistocene. The small mammal assemblages from Dolina show evidence that predation has biased species composition to some degree. Especially in two levels (TD4 and TD11), predator activity appears to have interfered with palaeoecological interpretations and exaggerated inferred climatic changes during the Middle Pleistocene. Once possible bias due to taphonomic agents is recognized, a more realistic and precise interpretation of the palaeoecology of this area is possible, as well as a history of the cave infilling as a background to human use of the cave.