The Early to Middle Pleistocene Atapuerca caves and their Vertebrates

ICAZ Meeting 2006, México City

Gloria Cuenca-Bescós & Juan Rofes Grupo Aragosaurus (http://aragosaurus.com/ ). Área & Museo de Paleontología.

Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza. 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. cuencag@unizar.es, jrofes@unizar.es

ORAL PAPER SLIDES

This paper and accompanying slides are licensed with a Creative Commons: Attribution-

Noncommercial license. Attribution: Gloria Cuenca- Bescós, Juan Rofes

Gloria Cuenca Bescós and Juan Rofes

Gran Dolina

Galeria

Sima del Elefante

Sima de los Huesos

LARGE MAMMAL BONE ACCUMULATIONS

Animal Behavior

Homo Behavior

+ =

HyenaGD

LionG

Mammothtooth GD

Horse footGD

Bear SH

Homo antecessorGD

Homo heidelbergensisSH

Birds of Prey Behavior =

SMALL VERTEBRATE BONE ACCUMULATIONS

Washing-screening andsampling field lab next to

the Arlanzon River

Small vertebratesamples

Analysis andresearch atUniversidad de Zaragoza

Large Mammals of Atapuerca

Small Mammals of Atapuerca

SIMA DEL ELEFANTE

FU 1

FU 6

TE15-19

TE9-14

FAD & LAD: 3 Allophaiomys spp, Castillomys,Asoriculus.

Castor fiber

Asoriculusgibberodon

Beremendiafissidens

Ursus dolinensis

FAD: Homo heidelbergensis, Ursusdeningeri, Stephanorhinushemitoechus, Arvicola cantianus

Crocuta crocuta Stephanorhinushemitoechus

GRAN DOLINA

FU 2TD3-4

FU 3TD5-6a

FU 4TD 6b

FU 5TD7-8a

FU 6TD8b-11

FAD: Iberomys huescarensis, Allocricetus,Crocuta.

FAD: Sus scrofa, Homotherium

FAD & LAD: Homo antecessor.

FAD: Microtus ratticepoidesLAD: Beremendia, Mimomys savini

FAD: Homo heidelbergensis, Ursus deningeri, Stephanorhinus hemitoechus, Arvicolacantianus

Panthera gombaszoegensisTD-4, FU2

Mimomys saviniTD-6, FU 4

Cervus elaphusTD-10, FU 6

Mammuthus sp.TD-6, FU 3

Crocuta crocutaTD-3, FU 2

Equus altidensTD-8, FU 5

Homo antecessorTD-6, FU 4

Soricine indet.TD-6, FU 4

GALERIA

FU 6

G II-IIITZ

Cuon alpinus

Dama vallonetensis

Panthera leo

FAD: Homo heidelbergensis, Ursus deningeri, Stephanorhinushemitoechus, Arvicolacantianus

SIMA DE LOSHUESOS

FU 6

Homo heidelbergensis

Tiny Ear bones

FAD: Homo heidelbergensis, Ursusdeningeri, Stephanorhinushemitoechus, Arvicola cantianus

Lynx pardina

Panthera leo

Ursus deningeri

Mustelid

PalaeoenvironmentalReconstructions

Palaeoclimatic reconstruction of theEarly Pleistocene of Atapuerca (before 1 Ma)

Based on the Insectivora assemblage of the lowerlevels of Sima del Elefante

Palaeoenvironmental recontruction of the Early to Middle Pleistocene of Atapuerca (after 1 Ma)

Based on the Mammalian assemblage of thestratigraphic secuence of Gran Dolina

Early Pleistocene – Faunal Unit 4

Early Pleistocene – Faunal Unit 4

Middle Pleistocene – Faunal Unit 6

Chopper TD-6 Flake TD-6

Flint Core TD-6

QuarzitePointTD-10

Handaxe TG

Large FlintFlake TG

Quarzite SplitterTG

Quarzite PointTG

CuttingTool TD-10

MODE 1MODE 2

MODE 3

LITHIC TOOLS

Homo antecessor

Gran Dolina Boy

Canibalism

Homo heidelbergensis

Hunting and scavenging

Burial