Pleistocene Fauna Research Articles

New fossils of Eucladoceros boulei (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from Early Pleistocene Nihewan Beds, China

Recent excavations at Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin of North China uncovered a rich collection of comb-antlered deer, which includes the first discovery of the yearling antler, complete upper and lower dentitions (both deciduous and permanent), associated limb bones including the longest metapodials ever recovered. Based on toothrow length and the dental characters as well as the postcranial bones, the new fossil materials can be referred to Eucladoceros boulei that is estimated to be 350kg and represents the largest Pleistocene cervid ever recovered in China. Besides the large size, E. boulei is also characterized by the pronounced anterior cingulids and entostylid ribs on lower molars as well as the moderately pachyostosed mandibles. The present study shows that the body weight of large cervids can be estimated by the length of toothrow and metacarpal, with exception for Cervus elaphus, which has larger toothrow length, but shorter metacarpal and smaller body size. E. boulei is a typical element of the Early Pleistocene fauna in northern China. The early Villafranchian is a bottleneck period for cervid evolution in northern China, which is characterized by the following features: decrease of cervid diversity, disappearance of archaic groups, and the rise of the medium to large-sized three-tined cervini taxa. The sudden appearance of the very large and/or multi-tined cervids at the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition may represent a great migration event of mammals. The Early Pleistocene cervids from Nihewan Basin are very diverse, and are in need of more taxonomic work.

A Humboldtian approach to life and climate of the geological past: Estimating palaeotemperature from dental traits of mammalian communities

AbstractAimThe links between geo‐ and biodiversity, postulated by Humboldt, can now be made quantitative. Species are adapted to their environments and interact with their environments by having pertinent functional traits. We aim to improve global ecometric models using functional traits for estimating palaeoclimate and apply models to Pleistocene fauna for palaeoclimate interpretation.LocationGlobal at present day, Pleistocene of Europe for fossil data analysis.TaxaArtiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Proboscidea and Primates.MethodsWe quantify functional traits of large mammal communities and develop statistical models linking trait distributions to local climate at present day. We apply these models to the fossil record, survey functional traits, and quantitatively estimate climates of the past. This approach to analysing functional relationships between faunal communities and their environments is called ecometrics.Results and main conclusionsHere, we present new global ecometric models for estimating mean annual and minimum temperature from dental traits of present day mammalian communities. We also present refined models for predicting net primary productivity. Using dental ecometric models, we produce palaeoclimate estimates for 50 Pleistocene fossil localities in Europe and show that the estimates are consistent with trends derived from other proxies, especially for minimum temperatures, which we hypothesize to be ecologically limiting. Our new temperature models allow us to trace the distribution of freezing and non‐freezing ecosystems in the recent past, opening new perspectives on the evolution of cold‐adaptive biota as the Pleistocene cooling progressed.

Evidence of intraspecific agonistic interactions in Smilodon populator (Carnivora, Felidae)

The saber-toothed cat Smilodon is a characteristic genus of the Pleistocene faunas of the American continent. Smilodon belongs to an extinct clade of felids that had hypertrophied blade-like upper canines. Because the length of the canines is so extreme, the killing bite of Smilodon is a hotly debated topic in vertebrate paleontology. Some authors have proposed that saber-toothed cats had a weak bite and their canines were fragile, not useful for attacking prey or penetrating bones. The aim of the present contribution is to describe two new specimens of Smilodon populator that have injuries on their skulls. Although it cannot be ruled out that the injuries were caused by a potential prey kicking the skull, the size, shape and general features of the injuries suggest that they were inflicted by the upper canines of another Smilodon individual during agonistic interactions.

Yucatán carnivorans shed light on the Great American Biotic Interchange.

The Great American Biotic Interchange is considered to be a punctuated process, primarily occurring during four major pulses that began approximately 2.5 Ma. Central America and southeastern Mexico have a poor fossil record of this dynamic faunal history due to tropical climates. Exploration of submerged caves in the Yucatán, particularly the natural trap Hoyo Negro, is exposing a rich and remarkably well-preserved late Pleistocene fauna. Radiometric dates on megafauna range from approximately 38 400-12 850 cal BP, and extinct species include the ursid Arctotherium wingei and canid Protocyon troglodytes. Both genera were previously thought to be indigenous to and confined to South America and appear to represent an instance of large placental mammals, descended from North American progenitors, migrating back north across the Panama Isthmus. This discovery expands the distribution of these carnivorans greater than 2000 km outside South America. Their presence along with a diverse sloth assemblage suggests a more complex history of these organisms in Middle America. We suggest that landscape and ecological changes caused by latest Pleistocene glaciation supported an interchange pulse that included A. wingei, P. troglodytes and Homo sapiens.

Dating, stratigraphy and taphonomy of the Pleistocene site of Ban Fa Suai II (Northern Thailand): Contributions to the study of paleobiodiversity in Southeast Asia

Since the initial description of the complex Ailuropoda-Stegodon as a faunal association with biochronological significance for the Southeast Asian area, few sites have provided paleontological data allowing for an extensive documentation of past fauna. Biodiversity and paleo-environmental reconstructions of Pleistocene fauna are still generally based on bone assemblages whose taphonomy and dating are not or badly documented. However, in order to be useful in a paleo-eclogical perspective, the dating of collected assemblages should be associated with periods of times corresponding to climatic episodes. In this study, we provide a detailed stratigraphic, taphonomical, paleontological and ESR dating studies concerning the site of Ban Fa Suai II discovered near the cave of the Monk in northern Thailand. Our results demonstrate the changes in the taxonomic composition of the fauna over time and argue against the use of the currently available regional dataset for paleo-ecological reonstructions.

More on Clovis Learning: Individual-level Processes Aggregate to Form Population-level Patterns

ABSTRACTThe Clovis techno-complex has figured prominently in American archaeology since the 1930s, when fluted stone weapon tips and other tools were found alongside the remains of late Pleistocene fauna in eastern New Mexico. Given the lack of fluted projectile points in the Old World, it appears certain that the Clovis techno-complex emerged in the New World, south of the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. The successful marriage of learning models grounded in evolutionary theory and modern analytical methods has yielded significant results in terms of what we know about the rapid spread of Clovis across North America. As more researchers become involved in applying learning models, however, there needs to be both consistency in how concepts and terms – selection and drift, for example – are used and clarity over how the results of small-scale processes, when taken in the aggregate, can create the population-level patterns seen in the archaeological record.

Palynology of Middle Stone Age spring deposits in grassland at the Florisbad hominin site, South Africa

New pollen evidence and a review of past palynological research at the Pleistocene Florisbad thermal spring mound, which produced faunal, hominin and archaeological remains, allow a reconstruction of past conditions in the central Free State grassland, South Africa. Pollen sequences at the spring consist of alternating pollen-rich organic peaty horizons interrupted by hiatuses or pollen-poor layers of sandy and clayey deposits. The paleoclimatic interpretation of pollen sequences in springs like Florisbad, which contain a mixture of local and regional pollen and are influenced by spring mound cycles and changes in swamp configuration, requires consideration of taphonomy and site geomorphology to separate local from regional influences. By correlating the pollen stratigraphy in different parts of the site we suggest that the lower layers containing the Florisbad hominin (dated to 259 ka) and its associated Middle Pleistocene fauna, experienced cool moist and grassy conditions. Dating of some of the overlying Middle Stone Age layers suggest that they encompass the Last Interglacial period (MIS 5e; ca. 124–119 ka). In these levels the pollen evidence of upland fynbos shrubs unexpectedly suggests that cool conditions prevailed. This raises questions about the taphonomy, precision of the age estimate of occupation or the way we interpret pollen spectra.

Fish Otoliths from the Cabarruyan Piacenzian-Gelasian fauna found in the Philippines.

We studied fish otoliths from twelve sediment samples of a well-preserved late Pliocene to early Pleistocene fauna originally from the northwest Philippines that were originally deposited in relatively deepwater marine environment. The fish fauna is systematically described, its paleoenvironmental character is explored, and its diversity is analyzed. Four unknown species have been encountered: Parascombrops schwarzhansi n. sp., Maurolicus sp., Pteropsaron sp., and Priolepis sp., of which one is described as new species and three were left in open nomenclature as their local recent counterparts are not well known yet. In addition, a variant Benthosema, Benthosema aff. fibulatum, is described. Overall, fifty-three taxa of fish otoliths were found, of which eighteen were identified at the species level and an additional twenty-seven at the genus level. Most extant species nowadays occur around the Philippines in relatively deep water (about 200 m depth), which is congruent with earlier studies on mollusks and echinoderms from the same deposits. This is the first study on a fossil fish otolith assemblage from the Philippines. Its diversity is very high and analysis by rarefaction curves suggests that additional sampling would add more fish species to the presented fauna list.

The Riddle of the Voodoo Tree: An Exercise in Ecological Thinking, Using the Example of the Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

Object-based learning is an approach that aims to foster observational skills and sensory awareness. Paradoxical plant objects that do not lend themselves to all-too-easy explanations and interpretations can be used to practice the search for ecological explanations and the formation of evolutionary hypotheses. They can be the basis of particularly fruitful and rewarding learning experiences. Gleditsia triacanthos, the honey locust, is a commonly planted ornamental tree. It exhibits striking structures of defense against – and fruit that point to a mutualism with – large animals. These structures, possibly developed in coevolution with Pleistocene faunas, invite a discussion of the complex, neither fully antagonistic nor fully mutualistic, relationships between plants and animals.

Campo Laborde: A Late Pleistocene giant ground sloth kill and butchering site in the Pampas.

The extinction of Pleistocene megafauna and the role played by humans have been subjects of constant debate in American archeology. Previous evidence from the Pampas region of Argentina suggested that this environment might have provided a refugium for the Holocene survival of several megamammals. However, recent excavations and more advanced accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating at Campo Laborde site in the Argentinian Pampas challenge the Holocene survival of Pleistocene megamammals and provide original and high-quality information documenting direct human impact on the Pleistocene fauna. The new data offer definitive evidence for hunting and butchering of Megatherium americanum (giant ground sloth) at 12,600 cal years BP and dispute previous interpretations that Pleistocene megamammals survived into the Holocene in the Pampas.

Pleistocene fauna of the Cape south coast revealed through ichnology at two localities

East of Still Bay on the Cape south coast of South Africa lies a rugged, remote stretch of sea cliffs that expose Late Pleistocene aeolianites. A zone of dense concentration of fossil tracks occurs within this area. Two large rocks, which we call Roberts Rock and Megafauna Rock, were identified ~400 metres apart. These rocks contained a variety of trackways, individual tracks, burrow traces and invertebrate trace fossils on multiple bedding planes. Both rocks were found ex situ, but their context could be determined. Roberts Rock has subsequently slid into the ocean, and Megafauna Rock lies at the base of a coastal cliff. Probable trackmakers include elephant, long-horned buffalo, giant Cape horse, rhinoceros, medium and small artiodactyls, golden mole, birds and invertebrates. Dating studies at an adjacent site, which is comparable to the stratigraphy described here, indicate that both rocks were most likely deposited in Marine Isotope Stage 5e (~128–116 ka). Analysis and description of these tracksites confirms the potential of ichnology to complement the skeletal fossil record and to enhance the understanding of Pleistocene life in southern Africa. The ephemeral nature of such tracksites makes repeated visits to this coastline desirable, both to monitor the fate of known sites and to search for newly exposed trace fossil surfaces.
 Significance:
 
 Roberts Rock and Megafauna Rock are two remarkable fossil tracksites on the Cape south coast, which contain tracks of four members of the Late Pleistocene megafauna. They provide a glimpse of Pleistocene dune life and suggest an area teeming with large mammals.
 These tracks were made on dune surfaces near an interface between the grassland of the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain and the inland Fynbos–Strandveld–Renosterveld. Faunal assemblages from both vegetation zones might therefore be recorded.
 The trace fossil record and body fossil record both have inherent biases, but have the potential to independently provide complementary information on palaeofaunal composition.
 The two rocks have provided the first South African records of fossil elephant tracks (as first described by Dave Roberts and colleagues in 2008), the first rhinoceros track and the first extinct giant Cape horse track, and track evidence of the extinct long-horned buffalo.
 Roberts Rock has slumped into the ocean, and it provides an example of the fate of many exposed tracksites. Conversely, new sites frequently become exposed. This scenario stresses the need for regular ichnological surveys along this track-rich coastline to monitor existing sites and to search for new sites.

A special compilation of papers on the Quaternary of Ireland published in Irish Journal of Earth Sciences

A SPECIAL COMPILATION OF PAPERS ON THE QUATERNARY OF IRELAND PUBLISHED IN IRISH JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES PATRICK WYSE JACKSON, MATTHEW PARKES and JOHN MURRAY Introduction The ‘purple journal’ is an important vehicle for the dissemination of research on the geology and geomorphology of Ireland. Begun in 1978, the first five volumes were published by the Royal Dublin ­ Society when it was styled the Journal of Earth Sciences, Royal Dublin Society, but since 1984 the Royal Irish Academy has published thirty-two volumes as the Irish Journal of Earth Sciences (IJES). To mark the 20th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) held in Dublin during July 2019, the Royal Irish Academy is delighted to republish online a selection of twelve IJES papers of direct interest to delegates. The current IJES editors have made this selection to illustrate the range of Quaternary topics published in the journal, but also to acknowledge the contributions made by all of the authors in this area. While these papers have made important standalone contributions in their particular fields, many have gone on to be influential on the research of others. The Irish landmass is strategically located on the western frontier of Europe and has been profoundly influenced geomorphologically by Pleistocene and Holocene events. Ice sheet advances and subsequent retreats have sculpted numerous glaciogenic landscape features and sea-level changes have greatly altered the coastline of the entire island. These­ research themes feature prominently in the selection of IJES papers below. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ireland has a long tradition of research on subjects relating to the Pleistocene, Holocene and the glaciations that ­ affected this ­ island over that last 2.6 million years. In 1697 Thomas­ Molyneux was the first to describe the Giant Irish Deer, which was revisited by the anatomist John Hart in the early 1800s, and more recently by ­ Stephen J. Gould and Tony Barnosky. As was noted by the eminent historian of geology, ­ Gordon Herries Davies, the terms ‘Drumlin’ and ‘Esker’ are deeply rooted in the Irish language. The bone craze of the 1880s was actually promoted by the Royal Irish Academy, who sponsored cave explorers such as Richard Ussher to collect and document ­ Pleistocene faunas. In the last few decades these collections have become useful sources of material for ancient DNA studies. In the 1930s the Dane, Knud Jessen, arrived in Ireland and commenced studies on the vegetation history of Ballybetagh Boy near Enniskerry. This led to further long-term studies of Irish vegetational history by Frank Mitchell and Bill Watts, studies that are continued by their successors to this day. Ireland, both onshore and offshore, remains a fertile ground for research in glacial, interglacial and Quaternary subjects. It is hoped that you enjoy this collection of articles , which showcases the wide range and high quality of scholarship published in the journal. Irish Journal of Earth Sciences publishes peer-reviewed original scholarship, discussion papers and reviews on any broad topic of Earth science interest, geology and­ palaeontology. We are always open to receiving articles for consideration, and the increasing profile and electronic availability of the journal means that we can offer a high-profile outlet for good quality research. Irish Journal of Earth Sciences (2019) © 2019 Royal Irish Academy i ...

Setting the Stage: The Late Pleistocene Colonization of North America

The timing of human entrance into North America has been a topic of debate that dates back to the late 19th century. Central to the modern discussion is not whether late Pleistocene-age populations were present on the continent, but the timing of their arrival. Key to the debate is the age of tools—bone rods, large prismatic stone blades, and bifacially chipped and fluted stone weapon tips—often found associated with the remains of late Pleistocene fauna. For decades, it was assumed that this techno-complex—termed “Clovis”—was left by the first humans in North America, who, by 11,000–12,000 years ago, made their way eastward across the Bering Land Bridge, or Beringia, and then turned south through a corridor that ran between the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets, which blanketed the northern half of the continent. That scenario has been challenged by more-recent archaeological and archaeogenetic data that suggest populations entered North America as much as 15,300–14,300 years ago and moved south along the Pacific Coast and/or through the ice-free corridor, which apparently was open several thousand years earlier than initially thought. Evidence indicates that Clovis might date as early as 13,400 years ago, which means that it was not the first technology in North America. Given the lack of fluted projectile points in the Old World, it appears certain that the Clovis techno-complex, or at least major components of it, emerged in the New World.

Testing the perspectives for discovery of the Paleolithic sites in the northern portion of the Ob river valley: Quaternary geology, paleogeography, and geomorphology

The earliest known archaeological sites North of the Arctic circle are separated from the other Paleolithic sites in Eurasia by vast territories, for which early human occupation is yet to be found. In the Ob River valley, Paleolithic sites are known in the Arctic while the northernmost Late Pleistocene site is located one thousand kilometers south. In the Lower Ob, previous environmental reconstructions supported the idea of a hiatus in occupation, however; new data demonstrate that the development of glaciers and lakes was asynchronous. It suggests that the West Siberian Plain became more suitable for human population than originally thought after the Taz glacial stage. The abundance of landforms and lithic raw material sources suitable for human settlement predicts that the area could have been inhabited during the Late Pleistocene. Hence, we conducted surveys to fully test the potential of this region. We report here the discovery of Pleistocene fauna (including mammoth bones) and possible Paleolithic artefacts in the Ob River Valley, on the slopes near Belogorsk Heights, and the North in the Hashgort Ob area. These findings provide perspectives for further investigation in the lower of the Ob river valley in search for the evidence for human occupation during the Paleolithic.

ESR Dating Ungulate Teeth and Molluscs from the Paleolithic Site Marathousa 1, Megalopolis Basin, Greece

At 37°24′ N 22°8′ E, the Megalopolis Basin lies in the central Peloponnese Peninsula, southwestern Greece. In the Megalopolis Basin at ~350 m amsl, the Paleolithic site, Marathousa 1, sits within a palustrine/lacustrine clastic package between Lignite Seams III and II, that both likely correlate with interglacial periods. At Marathousa 1, immediately below Lignite Seam III, lies a clayey-silty sand layer with a horizon rich in molluscs ranging from ~20–40 cm thick. About 0.8–1.3 m below the shell-rich horizon (SRH), lacustrine silty to muddy sands rich in organic matter yielded Paleolithic lithic artefacts associated with Middle Pleistocene fauna, some with cut marks and possible bone knapping, found within palustrine/lacustrine clastic deposits. Since ESR (electron spin resonance) can date teeth and molluscs aged >2 Ma, two bivalve samples, AM66 and AM65, five subsamples from a cervid molar, AT39, and one subsample from another cervid molar, AT68, were independently dated by ESR from Marathousa 1. To calculate the ages, time-averaged cosmic and time- and volumetrically-averaged sedimentary dose rates were calculated using past water depths and sedimentation rates as determined from paleontological and geological criteria. Found in the SRH in Layer UA2, AM66 and AM65 averaged 488 ± 37 ka, which correlates with MIS 13a. Because the bivalves sat stratigraphically above the artefacts and mammalian fossils, their ages constrain the ESR ages for the teeth deposited below. Lying on the unconformity at the base of Layer UA3c with UA4, and its correlative unconformity at the Layer UB4c/UB5 boundary, sat the dated teeth from large mammals. Because the bones in the Palaeoloxodon antiquus skeleton lay in quasi-anatomical association, the likelihood for fossil reworking on the Layer UB3c/UB4 surface is low. Isochron analysis suggests that using a U uptake model with p = 2 provides the most accurate ages for AT39. With p = 2, AT39 dates to 503 ± 13 ka, while AT68 dates to 512 ± 34 ka. Nonetheless, two to three more teeth and molluscs should be dated to confirm these ages, when more samples suitable for ESR dating are found. Both tooth ages correlate well with early MIS 13, an interglacial period with cooler mean global temperatures compared to MIS 11 or 9. Assuming that the archaeological site formed in one event, rather than as a palimpsest, the data suggest that hominins processed elephant and other faunal carcasses along the shores of a shallow lake or marsh in the Megalopolis Basin at 503 ± 12 ka. Between the two horizons dated here, their sedimentation rate averaged 4.8 ± 1.8 to 7.8 ± 2.9 cm/ka.

The Neogene Record of Northern South American Native Ungulates

South America was isolated during most of the Cenozoic, and it was home to an endemic fauna. The South American Native Ungulates (SANUs) exhibited high taxonomical, morphological, and ecological diversity and were widely distributed on the continent. However, most SANU fossil records come from high latitudes. This sampling bias challenges the study of their diversity dynamics and biogeography during important tectonic and biotic events, such as the Great American Biotic Interchange, the faunal exchange between North and South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. We describe new SANU remains from the Neogene of the Cocinetas (northern Colombia) and Falcon (northwestern Venezuela) Basins. In the Cocinetas Basin, the middle Miocene fauna of the Castilletes Formation includes Hilarcotherium miyou sp. nov. (Astrapotheriidae), cf. Huilatherium (Leontiniidae), and Lambdaconus cf. L. colombianus (Proterotheriidae). The late Pliocene fauna of the Ware Formation includes a Toxodontinae indet. and the putative oldest record of Camelidae in South America. In the Falcon Basin, the Pliocene/Pleistocene faunas of the Codore and San Gregorio Formations include Falcontoxodon aguilerai gen. et sp. nov. and Proterotheriidae indet. We provide a phylogenetic analysis for Astrapotheriidae and Toxodontidae. The new data document a low-latitude provinciality within some SANU clades (e.g., Astrapotheriidae, Leontiniidae) during the middle Miocene. This contrasts with the wide latitudinal distribution of clades of other mammals recorded in the fauna, including the sparassodont Lycopsis padillai, the sloth Hyperleptus?, and the proterotheriid Lambdaconus cf. L. colombianus. The Pliocene/Pleistocene tropical faunas from northern South America are characterized by the predominance of native taxa despite their proximity to the Isthmus of Panama (fully emerged by that time). Only one North American ungulate herbivore immigrant is present, a cf. Camelidae indet. The Pliocene and early Pleistocene faunas suggest that environmental changes and biotic interactions affected the diversity dynamics and biogeographic patterns of SANUs during the Great American Biotic Interchange.

Taphonomic interpretations of a new Plio-Pleistocene hominin-bearing assemblage at Kromdraai (Gauteng, South Africa)

Within the past 80 years, the Kromdraai site in South Africa has provided a diverse Early Pleistocene fauna (notably bovids, carnivores, primates, large rodents, birds, proboscidea). Since 2014, the Kromdraai bone accumulation has been the focus of intensive fieldwork that demonstrated that the site is much larger than previously recognised. In the present taphonomic study of a new and large faunal sample including more than 2400 remains, stratigraphically controlled, we aim to test previous interpretations of the Kromdraai assemblage as representing a death trap or a carnivore lair. In particular, we aim to discuss the relationships between faunal communities in the context of carnivores, either predator-prey or predator-predator interactions. We investigate the relative abundance of anatomical elements and their fragmentation, the mortality profiles and tooth-mark frequency. We conclude that carnivores (particularly felids and hyenids) played a major role in the accumulation of fauna from Member 2, which (thus far) is the oldest depositional period investigated at Kromdraai. However, the high species diversity suggests that the secondary predators (scavengers) could have modified the bone deposit produced by the primary predators. The presence of hominin remains is also questioned. Our results shed new light on the palaeoecology of the Kromdraai Member 2 hominins, in terms of opportunistic predators and/or prey of large carnivores.

What happened when the Pleistocene megafauna became extinct?

This work presents an updated revision of the information about Pleistocene fauna records in archeological sites of the Pampa and Patagonian regions of South America. The purpose is to assess the role played by humans within the extinction process of Pleistocene mammals in the South Cone and the effects that the disappearance of Pleistocene large mammals had in human populations which colonized both regions. This is based on the theory of “Broken Zig-Zag”, which considers that the process was gradual in time and in different species, taking place between 15 Ka BP and 8.5 Ka BP in Patagonia and during a longer period, until ca. 7.5 Ka BP in Pampa. For this aim it was considered all those sites with accurate chronological and taxonomic information about the presence of extinct species of mega and large mammals of xenarthrans, camelids, equids and carnivores. Thus, the work is focused on three analytical lines: regional analysis of radiocarbon records of first and last taxonomic appearance, ecology and etiology of species with archeological record and variability of associations of the archaeofauna with material culture. We discuss how the first humans took possession of Pampa and Patagonian regions during and after the last part of the continental extinction process. Thus, there is a contribution with new hypotheses about the differential use of the extinct fauna in both regions. This interdisciplinary approach of social and environmental agency has not been considered in the specialized bibliography so far; therefore novel information is given for interpreting the way in which humans took possession of the fauna, not only as subsistence resources but also as other important agents in the socio-economic and symbolic relationship of humans with the landscape. On the whole, the final result is that the gregarious species of large herbivores (camelids) were the most important resources for hunter-gatherers from the beginning of human colonization. The extinct fauna influenced subsistence complementarily, though it played an important role in the social and symbolic spheres.

GEOLOGICAL MEMORY OF STARUNJA – AS THE COURSE OF PROTECTION OF THE WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE IN CARPATHIAN REGION OF UKRAINE

Paleontological location of the Pleistocene fauna of hairy rhinos and mammoths near the village. Starunya Bogorodchany district of Ivano-Frankivsk region (Prykarpathian, Ukraine) is considered as a paleoclimatic rapper of global changes and a stratigraphic "bridge" linking stratigraphic patterns of the Upper Pleistocene of Western Europe and the plain territory of Ukraine. This is important for the reconstruction of global climate change and the transformation of natural and man-made geosystems.

Testing the savannah corridor hypothesis during MIS2: The Boh Dambang hyena site in southern Cambodia

The Boh Dambang karstic site in southern Cambodia, Kampot province, is a mammal bone-rich deposit in a hyena site. Very few hyena sites have been recovered in the Pleistocene of Southeast Asia, thus little information is known about the foraging abilities of hyenas during that period and their decline in the region, while the other hypercarnivores (tiger, leopard, and dhole) persisted until present day.To constrain the site we applied luminescence (red TL and single-grain OSL), ESR and U/Th dating methods to the sediments and faunal teeth, respectively. The resulting age estimatessuggest that the site represents an accumulation of a young deposit with faunal teeth in the range of 25–18 ka that was last exposed to sunlight between 8 and 7 ka, and an older deposit containing older teeth (∼100–80 ka) that have been eroded from the upper caves in the system and incorporated into the younger deposit. Thus, the faunal age of 25–18 ka (MIS2), provides the best estimate for the age of the hyena site during LGM (26.5–19 ka).We analysed the assemblage of isolated teeth in terms of taxonomic diversity and abundance. The role of bone accumulators, either carnivores or rodents, has been precised through a taphonomic analysis. Diet was reconstructed through measurement of δ13C values of tooth enamel. The taphonomic analysis reveals that the hyenas were the main bone accumulators at Boh Dambang. Porcupines were aslo a factor in the accumulation of remains. The results show that the spotted hyenas hunted large-sized herbivores (>600 kg), in a mixed environment dominated by grassland.These data along with evidence from other Pleistocene faunas from Southeast Asian mainland, in terms of prey preference of hyenas (“rhinoceroses versus large bovines”) also reveal marked differences in relation to habitat type. Possible causes of the decline of the spotted hyena in the Indochinese sub-region (hypercarnivory, high trophic level, comparable foraging strategies with hunters-gatherers, and climatic changes) are tentatively proposed at this point.