Last Interglacial (MIS 5) ungulate assemblage from the Central Iberian Peninsula: The Camino Cave (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The fossil assemblage from Camino Cave, corresponding to the late MIS 5, constitutes a key record to understand the faunal composition of Central Iberia during the last Interglacial. Moreover, the largest Iberian fallow deer fossil population was recovered here. Other ungulate species present at this assemblage include red deer, roe deer, aurochs, chamois, wild boar, horse and steppe rhinoceros; carnivores and Neanderthals are also present. The origin of the accumulation has been interpreted as a hyena den. Estimations of the age at death in several fallow deer young individuals provided information on seasonality, suggesting that the cave was occupied by the hyenas almost all year round. A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTThe ungulate composition provides a clear example of an interglacial faunal complex which agrees with the published pollen, charcoal and small vertebrate data that indicate a continental Mediterranean climate. This interglacial character was also registered at other Iberian MIS 5 sequences coming from the Mediterranean margin.

Palaeoenvironmental research at Rexidora Cave: New evidence of cold and dry conditions in NW Iberia during MIS 3

“…One left mandible, including the complete dental series, is exceptionally well preserved. The size of the teeth is very large (length ¼ 35 mm), which is normally detected in red deer populations from cold stages (Mariezkurrena and Altuna, 1983;Alvarez-Lao et al, 2013). Although Cervus elaphus is not a typical element of the mammoth fauna, it is always present, and frequently the predominant species, in the Northern Iberian assemblages where cold-adapted taxa occur ( Alvarez-Lao, 2014).…”

Middle Pleistocene large‐mammal faunas from North Iberia: palaeobiogeographical and palaeoecological implications

“…Stephanorhinus hemitoechus is widely distributed in Middle and Late Pleistocene Iberian sites (Cerdeño ; Van der Made & Montoya ; Álvarez‐Lao et al . ); however, the finding from Mestas de Con constitutes the first occurrence of this species documented in a Middle Pleistocene context from the Cantabrian region.…”

Reassessing the sedimentary deposits and vertebrate assemblages from Ponte Galeria area (Rome, central Italy): An archive for the Middle Pleistocene faunas of Europe

“…Equus hydruntinus is recorded later in Italy, during MIS 8.5-7 (Caloi et al, 1980c;Conti et al, 2010; this work) together with the occurrence of D. dama tiberina (Di ; during MIS 7 another subspecies of fallow deer, D. d. geiselana, occurred in Central Europe (Pfeiffer, 1997). The latter subspecies is also recorded during MIS 5 in the Iberian Peninsula (Álvarez-Lao et al, 2013).…”