El Portalón de Cueva Mayor es uno de los yacimientos arqueo-paleontológicos holocenos más importantes de la Meseta Norte y forma parte del complejo kárstico de la Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos). La Edad del Bronce constituye un importante legado arqueo-paleontológico en la región central de la Península Ibérica. En este período se registran la mayor parte de los procesos de domesticación de fauna silvestre. Una de las especies propuestas para haber sido domesticada en este contexto es el lobo (Canis lupus). La falta de evidencias de un haplotipo específico en perros que permita distinguirlos a nivel molecular como ocurre con ganado bovino y caprino, hace imprescindible que el problema se aborde desde una perspectiva morfométrica. Por tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar características morfométricas en mandíbulas del género Canis del Bronce inicial–medio, y compararlas con perros y lobos modernos, con el objetivo de aportar conocimiento sobre el proceso de evolución de la forma silvestre a doméstica de la especie Canis lupus. Los resultados sugieren que las mandíbulas de El Portalón son más pequeñas en tamaño que la de los lobos modernos, sin embargo, conservan ciertas morfologías primitivas presentes en lobos en la rama mandibular y el M1.
The Sima de los Huesos site in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, northern Spain) is a Middle Pleistocene locality with the most important accumulation of humans in the European record for this age. In addition to the hominin collection, the Sima has provided numerous faunal remains. Here, we update the carnivoran mammal fauna from the Sima de los Huesos. The analyzed carnivoran fauna is taxonomically diverse consisting of 11 species from 9 genera and four families. The high taxonomic diversity of carnivorans at the site is interpreted as corresponding to high overall ecosystem productivity. A synthetic description of the carnivoran remains is presented adding new information on the biochronology of the carnivoran species assemblage and its paleoecological association with European Middle Pleistocene hominins. Because of their similarity in taphonomic setting and diets—that the carnivoran fauna and humans were found in the same place and had similar protein‐rich diets—clarifying the paleontological and paleoecological context of these carnivorans permits a better understanding of the humans also found at this site.
Evidence of dog consumption at the El Portalón de Cueva Mayor site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) from the Holocene is revealed for the first time. The taxonomical and taphonomical studies of the animal bones from the El Portalón site have been carried out. The morphological and metrical analyses indicate that 130 dog bone remains have been identified from the El Portalón site, including from the Neolithic (NISP = 23), Chalcolithic (Pre-Bell Beaker Chalcolithic and Bell Beaker Chalcolithic) (26), Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age (81). The anthropic evidence encompasses cut marks, fresh bone fractures, human tooth marks and fire modifications, thus constituting clear evidence of cynophagy, at least in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age levels in different contexts (habitat and funerary) from the El Portalón site (Atapuerca, Burgos). Furthermore, the fire alterations on two bone remains from the Neolithic suggest likely dog consumption due to the domestic character of the stratigraphical units where these bone remains were found. The taphonomic evidence suggests that domestic dogs were, at least occasionally, part of the diet of the humans who inhabited the El Portalón site, a fact that might be caused either by food shortages and hunger or as dog meat was considered as a delicacy.
Here we report the preliminary results from the 2015-19 prospections, excavations, and research from Juan Labranz Cave, a new paleontological Quaternary deposit rich in mammals that offers information on the faunal context, southern sub-plateau. It is located on the border on the Iberian range, at the Sierra de Valdecabras, Cuenca, at 1.279 m.a.s.l.. The study includes a first georeferenced digital map of the cave and a preliminary analysis of the chronology, palynology, macro-and microvertebrate paleontology, and taphonomy. The cave is interpreted as a hyena den, and this would represent one of the highest elevation cavities where the activity of this taxon is recorded. Moreover, we consider this site important and unique because it constitutes one of the very few Pleistocene cave sites in the southern sub-plateau. It is strategically located on the border between the Iberian range and the Tajo Tertiary Basin, at the Júcar river valley, which constitutes the only great natural corridor that covers hundreds of kilometres connecting two very important palaeoecological contexts, the interior of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean basin.
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