A Taphonomic study of the Búho and Zarzamora caves.Hyenas and humans in the Iberian Plateau (Segovia, Spain) during the Late Pleistocene
- Sala, María Teresa Nohemi
- Algaba Suárez, Milagros
- Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
- Pantoja, Ana
- Aranburu Artano, Arantza
ISSN: 1696-0815
Año de publicación: 2012
Volumen: 10
Número: 3-4
Páginas: 477-497
Tipo: Artículo
Otras publicaciones en: Journal of taphonomy
Resumen
The Búho and the Zarzamora caves (Segovia, Spain) are two small karstic cavities in the North of the Central System Cretaceous limestones, in the transitional region between the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains and the Castilian Plateau. The infilling sediment was excavated during two periods, from 1988-1990 and from 2008- actuality, and subsequently has been assigned to the Late Pleistocene. The aim of this study is the taphonomical analysis of the macrofaunal remains from the old and the new excavation campaigns. The taxonomical list includes: Carnivora (Crocuta crocuta, cf. Panthera sp., Lynx sp., Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes and Meles meles), Perissodactyla (Equus ferus, Equus hydruntinus and Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) and Artiodactyla (Sus scrofa, Cervus elaphus, Bison priscus and Bos primigenius). The abundance of hyena juveniles and coprolites, as well as carnivore tooth marks and digested bones suggest that the Búho and Zarzamora caves worked as a spotted hyena den during the Late Pleistocene. Nevertheless some human activity is also present in the Zarzamora cave site with evidences of cut marks in carnivore remains (Lynx sp.). The macro faunal association suggests an open environment where equids were the most abundant herbivores.