Granada, (EFE).- A new study on the paleontological site of Venta Micena 4, in Orce (Granada), has revealed the behavior of carnivores from 1.6 million years ago.
The work is led by researchers from the University of Granada and the Complutense University of Madrid. And published in the journal “Quaternary Science Reviews”. It shows that in this site there were different scenarios that have been characterized thanks to this interdisciplinary study.
As reported by the University of Granada, the natural landscapes are currently dotted with a wooded mass. A small stream, pool, or set of rocks. That is, places to obtain food and water, places to consume it or places to rest, just as it happened in the past.
But despite the low physical distance between different areas of the territory, the function of each space would differ significantly. And that, the researchers point out, is what happened at Venta Micena. An extensive area dotted with multiple sites, each of which provides valuable information.
Nearly 5,000 elements analyzed
The investigation focuses on the so-called Venta Micena 4, a paleontological site rich in extinct fauna. From which it has been possible to reconstruct the habitat. And the behavior of the animals that lived in Orce 1.6 million years ago. Like mammoths, hippos, rhinos, deer, horses, hyenas, saber-toothed tigers or ancestors of wolves and wild dogs).
As Carmen Luzón, a doctoral student at the University of Granada and one of the main authors of this work, explains, to carry it out they have analyzed nearly 5,000 elements, including bones, horns, antlers, teeth and fragments of turtle shell. They have been excavated at Venta Micena 4 since 2005 in search of historical signs.
The researchers, reports the professor of Prehistory and Archeology Juan Manuel Jiménez, realized that there were elements that were absent or scarcely represented in Venta Micena 4, such as coprolites of the great short-faced hyena from the Pleistocene that did abound in nearby sites, of Hence they began to raise the possibility that they were facing two different scenarios.
The analysis of the marks found on the bones has confirmed that Venta Micena 4 is different: “Here we do not have the abundance of breaks from hyena bites that there are in Venta Micena 3. Just a few examples. On the other hand, whole ribs and complete legs appear ”, he points out.
natural death of animals
All the interpretations that have been made of Venta Micena 4 point in one direction. A fresh water source near the site became a focus of attraction for wildlife.
There are indicators, such as the proportion of remains found for each species and the mortality profiles based on age, which show that some of the animals that died there 1.6 million years ago did so naturally.
In addition, some herbivores were attacked by large carnivores, such as saber-toothed tigers, bears, and the ancestors of today’s wild dogs and wolves, and consumed on the spot.
In short, the researchers point out, Venta Micena 4 presents at least two moments, and they are different, both from the climatic point of view and from the faunal composition: “For example, during the oldest episode there is a greater presence of deer, which which is usually associated with an abundance of forests” and more temperate and rainy environments. EFE