Mamiferos del yacimiento del Pleistoceno Superior de Cueva Millan (Burgos, Espana)

Abstract

The faunal analysis of the mammalian association retrieved in the Mousterian cave-entrance site of Cueva Millan uncovers a rather varied assemblage of different cultural and bioecological connotations. On one side, the large mammal fauna, by far the biggest fraction of the sample, seems to be the likely product of human hunting. As such, most bones are literally smashed and extremely eroded. This, of course, renders identification and interpretation more difficult. The small-mammal assemblage appears more like the product of a primary accumulation and reflects a late Pleistocene fauna. The whole fauna indicates a temperate event with forest and open land criss-crossed by water courses. Particularly interesting is the presence of the beaver, not only a good paleoecological indicator but also a rare find on the Iberian Peninsula. -English summary