Los Batanes: A trap for the Pyrenean wild goat during the Late Pleistocene (Spain). (10th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sauqué, Víctor; García-González, Ricardo; Rabal-Garcés, Raquel; Galán, Julia; Núñez-Lahuerta, Carmen; Gisbert, Mario; Cuenca-Bescós, Gloria
• Is Part Of: Quaternary international. Volume 481(2018)
• Page Start: 75
• Page End: 90
• Publication Date: 2018-07-10
• Subjects: Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica -- Palaeontology -- Taphonomy -- Biometry -- Spanish Pyrenees; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Stratigraphie -- Quaternaire -- Périodiques; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-6182

Abstract

Abstract: Los Batanes cave (1025 m.a.s.l.) is a karstic system formed by pressure ducts, near the locality of Biescas in the Upper Gallego Valley (Huesca, Spain). Many fossil remains were retrieved from the cave sediments. The minimum sediment calendar age was determined to be 12.770 ± 60 BP. This date indicates that the deposit was formed before the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene transition at the Pyrenees. Here we analyze the faunal assemblage of the site that is only conformed by remains of Pyrenean wild goat ( Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica ), which is a recently extinct subspecies of Iberian wild goat ( C. pyrenaica ). In the site, 1079 remains of Iberian wild goat have been recovered being one of the most numerous both in minimum number of individuals (MNI) and number of identified specimens (NISP) recovered until now in a natural trap in the Spanish Pyrenees. The population of Los Batanes shows a wide range of ages between juvenile and senile individuals and the MNI estimated from the number of right metatarsus is nine. The taphonomic features indicate that the cave acted as a trap for the goats which inhabited the vicinity of the cave. These goats probably stumbled and fell to the bottom of the pit and they could not get out, dying inside. Due to the origin of the accumulation numerous complete bones have been recovered. These fossil allow us to perform a biometric analysis that indicates that population of Los Batanes is in the range size of other goats from Late Pleistocene of Iberian Peninsula.