A Preliminary Study of Rodent Burrows at Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia: Comparison with the Late Pleistocene Rodent Burrows of Korea

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of rodent (mainly ground squirrel) burrows found near the Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia. Those burrows are straight to slightly curved and gently inclined in lateral view. Cross-sectional shapes are either circular or elliptical with diameters ranging from mostly 8-10 cm. Most abandoned burrows are passively filled with soils and/or pebbles. The size and architecture of these Mongolian burrows are remarkably similar to those of the previously reported Late Pleistocene burrows from Korea. Therefore, the rodent burrows found at Korean Palaeolithic sites are thought to have been formed by ground squirrels. However, the difference in burrow-fills suggests that the mean annual precipitation of the Korean Peninsula during the Late Pleistocene is much higher than that of Mongolia.