Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits

For decades, taphonomists have dedicated their efforts to assessing the nature of the massive leporid accumulations recovered at archaeological sites in the northwestern Mediterranean region. Their interest lying in the fact that the European rabbit constituted a critical part of human subsistence d...

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Autores: Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio, Sanz Borràs, Montserrat, Daura Luján, Joan, Sánchez Marco, Antonio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/176886
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/176886
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Lepòrids
Excavacions arqueològiques
Linx ibèric
Leporidae
Archaeological excavations
Spanish lynx
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spelling Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary DepositsRodríguez Hidalgo, AntonioSanz Borràs, MontserratDaura Luján, JoanSánchez Marco, AntonioLepòridsExcavacions arqueològiquesLinx ibèricLeporidaeArchaeological excavationsSpanish lynxFor decades, taphonomists have dedicated their efforts to assessing the nature of the massive leporid accumulations recovered at archaeological sites in the northwestern Mediterranean region. Their interest lying in the fact that the European rabbit constituted a critical part of human subsistence during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. However, rabbits are also a key prey in the food webs of Mediterranean ecosystems and the base of the diet for several specialist predators, including the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). For this reason, the origin of rabbit accumulations in northwestern Mediterranean sites has proved a veritable conundrum. Here, we present the zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of more than 3000 faunal and 140 coprolite remains recovered in layer IIIa of Cova del Gegant (Catalonia, Spain). Our analysis indicates that this layer served primarily as a den for the Iberian lynx. The lynxes modified and accumulated rabbit remains and also died at the site creating an accumulation dominated by the two taxa. However, other agents and processes, including human, intervened in the final configuration of the assemblage. Our study contributes to characterizing the Iberian lynx fossil accumulation differentiating between the faunal assemblages accumulated by lynxes and hominins.Nature Publishing Group2020info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/176886Articles publicats en revistes (Història i Arqueologia)reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UBinstname:Universidad de BarcelonaInglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63908-6Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, num. 1, p. 7225https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63908-6cc-by (c) Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio et al., 2020http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/esinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/1768862026-05-27T06:46:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
title Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
spellingShingle Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Lepòrids
Excavacions arqueològiques
Linx ibèric
Leporidae
Archaeological excavations
Spanish lynx
title_short Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
title_full Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
title_fullStr Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
title_full_unstemmed Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
title_sort Taphonomic Criteria for Identifying Iberian Lynx Dens in Quaternary Deposits
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Sanz Borràs, Montserrat
Daura Luján, Joan
Sánchez Marco, Antonio
author Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
author_facet Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Sanz Borràs, Montserrat
Daura Luján, Joan
Sánchez Marco, Antonio
author_role author
author2 Sanz Borràs, Montserrat
Daura Luján, Joan
Sánchez Marco, Antonio
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Lepòrids
Excavacions arqueològiques
Linx ibèric
Leporidae
Archaeological excavations
Spanish lynx
topic Lepòrids
Excavacions arqueològiques
Linx ibèric
Leporidae
Archaeological excavations
Spanish lynx
description For decades, taphonomists have dedicated their efforts to assessing the nature of the massive leporid accumulations recovered at archaeological sites in the northwestern Mediterranean region. Their interest lying in the fact that the European rabbit constituted a critical part of human subsistence during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. However, rabbits are also a key prey in the food webs of Mediterranean ecosystems and the base of the diet for several specialist predators, including the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). For this reason, the origin of rabbit accumulations in northwestern Mediterranean sites has proved a veritable conundrum. Here, we present the zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of more than 3000 faunal and 140 coprolite remains recovered in layer IIIa of Cova del Gegant (Catalonia, Spain). Our analysis indicates that this layer served primarily as a den for the Iberian lynx. The lynxes modified and accumulated rabbit remains and also died at the site creating an accumulation dominated by the two taxa. However, other agents and processes, including human, intervened in the final configuration of the assemblage. Our study contributes to characterizing the Iberian lynx fossil accumulation differentiating between the faunal assemblages accumulated by lynxes and hominins.
publishDate 2020
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2020
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/176886
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/176886
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63908-6
Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, num. 1, p. 7225
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63908-6
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by (c) Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio et al., 2020
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by (c) Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio et al., 2020
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature Publishing Group
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature Publishing Group
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Història i Arqueologia)
reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
instname:Universidad de Barcelona
instname_str Universidad de Barcelona
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de la UB
collection Dipòsit Digital de la UB
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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