Etude taphonomique du repaire d'hyènes de Camiac (Gironde, France). Eléments de comparaison entre un site naturel et un gisement préhistorique

Abstract

By a taphonomical study of the osteological remains issuing from the site of Camiac, we show that it was a hyena den. We spécifie the mode of feeding of this Carnivorous. The anatomical distribution of the remains and the way of the bones where broken are very different of the one of an archaeological site stricto sensu. Key-words : Taphonomy, Hyena den, archaeological site, Camiac, Combe-Grenal, South-West France.

Late Pleistocene hyena skeleton remains of a communal/prey depot cave den in the Bohemian Mountains (Czech Republic) – its osteology, taphonomy and palaeoecology

“…Compared to other Late Pleistocene hyena den bone assemblages in Europe, horse and woolly rhinoceros are in general the most abundant prey remains in the bone NISP (here four caves in Czech Republic, Fig. 16) at most hyena cave and open‐air den sites in Germany and Czech Republic (Liebe ; Musil ; Guadelli ; Tournepiche and Couture ; Diedrich , , ,c,d, ,b,c,f), except if hyenas specialized in the predation and feeding on cave bears in middle high mountain regions (Diedrich ).…”

“…Such hyena remains are often found between large amounts of hyena prey remains in general at many Late Pleistocene hyena C. c. spelaea den sites and is typical (but not all, e.g. cave bear prey specialization Diedrich ) across Europe (Liebe ; Reynolds ; Musil ; Ehrenberg ; Guadelli ; Fosse ; Fosse et al . ; Diedrich , ,b, ,b, , ,d, ,b,c,f; Mangano ).…”

“…C) and other foetal remains (NISP = 2%) prove unique in Europe the hunt onto pregnant horses in spring/early summer times (Diedrich ). The horse hunting specialization of Late Pleistocene spotted hyenas, especially using the material from the Srbsko Chlum–Komín Cave, was compared to many other hyena den sites of France (NISP = 34% in Camiac Cave: Guadelli ), Germany and Czech Republic and was compared to the modern Zebra hunting of spotted hyenas in Africa (Diedrich ). Newest data about the small wild horse E. f. przewalski from the open‐air hyena den site Westeregeln (Diedrich ) correspond to this horse hunting specialization in northern/central German mammoth steppe environment lowlands, whereas other sites in Europe, such as Rochelot Cave (Tournepiche and Couture ) and Camiac Cave (Guadelli ) in south‐western France seem to have similar small horse type remains and in both hyena den sites also in larger amounts.…”

“…High amounts of steppe bison bones (30%) in hyena bone assemblages are described for the Carmiac Cave (SW‐France, Guadelli ). Similar as reported from the nearby Konĕprusy Caves (Diedrich ), at the Srbsko Chlum–Komín Cave, possibly a single carcass (maximum MNI = 2) was imported of an adult animal, whereas in total 60 bones are present in the material.…”

“…All different age classes of their palaeo‐populations/clans are known from the Late Pleistocene last glacial period (about 116 000–22 000 BP) and were excavated at more than 100 caves and open‐air sites mainly with their skulls, teeth or postcranial bone remains (e.g. Cuvier , ; Buckland ; Liebe ; Reynolds ; Musil ; Ehrenberg ; Guadelli ; Fosse et al . ; Tournepiche and Couture ; Villa et al .…”