scholarly journals Déjà vu: a reappraisal of the taphonomy of quarry VM4 of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena (Baza Basin, SE Spain)

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
M. Patrocinio Espigares ◽  
Juan A. Pérez-Claros ◽  
Borja Figueirido ◽  
Antonio Guerra-Merchán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Accumulation Process ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
Bone Accumulation

AbstractVenta Micena, an Early Pleistocene site of the Baza Basin (SE Spain), preserves a rich and diverse assemblage of large mammals. VM3, the main excavation quarry of the site, has been interpreted as a den of the giant hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris in the plain that surrounded the Baza palaeolake. Taphonomic analysis of VM3 has shown that the hyaenas scavenged the prey previously hunted by the hypercarnivores, transported their remains to the communal den, and consumed the skeletal parts according to their marrow contents and mineral density. In a recent paper (Luzón et al. in Sci Rep 11:13977, 10.1038/s41598-021-93261-1, 2021), a small sample of remains unearthed from VM4, an excavation quarry ~ 350 m distant from VM3, is analysed. The authors indicate several differences in the taphonomic features of this assemblage with VM3, and even suggest that a different carnivore could have been the agent involved in the bone accumulation process. Here, we make a comparative analysis of both quarries and analyse more skeletal remains from VM4. Our results indicate that the assemblages are broadly similar in composition, except for slight differences in the frequency of megaherbivores, carnivores and equids according to NISP values (but not to MNI counts), the degree of bone weathering, and the intensity of bone processing by the hyaenas. Given that VM4 and VM3 were not coeval denning areas of P. brevirostris, these differences suggest that during the years when the skeletal remains were accumulated by the hyaenas at VM3, the rise of the water table of the Baza palaeolake that capped with limestone the bones was delayed compared to VM4, which resulted in their more in-depth consumption by the hyaenas.

scholarly journals Déjà vu: A reappraisal of the taphonomy of quarry VM4 of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena (Baza Basin, SE Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
M. Patrocinio Espigares ◽  
Juan A. Pérez-Claros ◽  
Borja Figueirido ◽  
Antonio Guerra-Merchán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Accumulation Process ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
Bone Accumulation

Abstract Venta Micena, an Early Pleistocene site of the Baza Basin (SE Spain), preserves a rich and diverse assemblage of large mammals. VM3, the main excavation quarry of the site, has been interpreted as a den of the giant hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris in the plain that surrounded the Baza palaeolake. Taphonomic analysis of VM3 has shown that the hyaenas scavenged the prey previously hunted by the hypercarnivores, transported their remains to the communal den, and consumed the skeletal parts according to their marrow contents and mineral density. In a recent paper, a small sample of remains unearthed from VM4, an excavation quarry ~350 m distant from VM3, are analysed. The authors indicate several differences in the taphonomic features of this assemblage with VM3, and even suggest that a different carnivore could have been the agent involved in the bone accumulation process. Here we make a comparative analysis of both quarries and analyse more skeletal remains from VM4. Our results indicate that the assemblages are broadly similar in composition, except for slight differences in the frequency of megaherbivores, carnivores and equids according to NISP values (but not to MNI counts), the degree of bone weathering, and the intensity of bone processing by the hyaenas. Given that VM4 and VM3 were not coeval denning areas of P. brevirostris, these differences suggest that during the years when the skeletal remains were accumulated by the hyaenas at VM3, the rise of the water table of the Baza palaeolake that capped with limestone the bones was delayed compared to VM4, which resulted in their more in-depth consumption by the hyaenas.

scholarly journals Déjà vu: A reappraisal of the taphonomy of quarry VM4 of the Early Pleistocene site 1 of Venta Micena (Baza Basin, SE Spain"

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
M. Patrocinio Espigares ◽  
Juan A. Pérez-Claros ◽  
Borja Figueirido ◽  
Antonio Guerra-Merchán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Accumulation Process ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
Bone Accumulation

Abstract Venta Micena, an Early Pleistocene site of the Baza Basin (SE Spain), preserves a rich and diverse assemblage of large mammals. VM3, the main excavation quarry of the site, has been interpreted as a den of the giant hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris in the plain that surrounded the Baza palaeolake. Taphonomic analysis of VM3 has shown that the hyaenas scavenged the prey previously hunted by the hypercarnivores, transported their remains to the communal den, and consumed the skeletal parts according to their marrow contents and mineral density. In a recent paper, a small sample of remains unearthed from VM4, an excavation quarry ~350 m distant from VM3, are analysed. The authors indicate several differences in the taphonomic features of this assemblage with VM3, and even suggest that a different carnivore could have been the agent involved in the bone accumulation process. Here we make a comparative analysis of both quarries and analyse more skeletal remains from VM4. Our results indicate that the assemblages are broadly similar in composition, except for slight differences in the frequency of megaherbivores, carnivores and equids according to NISP values (but not to MNI counts), the degree of bone weathering, and the intensity of bone processing by the hyaenas. Given that VM4 and VM3 were not coeval denning areas of P. brevirostris, these differences suggest that during the years when the skeletal remains were accumulated by the hyaenas at VM3, the rise of the water table of the Baza palaeolake that capped with limestone the bones was delayed compared to VM4, which resulted in their more in-depth consumption by the hyaenas.

Taphonomic decoding of the paleobiological information locked in a lower Pleistocene assemblage of large mammals

Paleobiology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 512-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
Alfonso Arribas
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Study ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Lower Pleistocene ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
Wild Dogs

The processes of fossilization have usually been perceived by paleontologists as destructive ones, leading to consecutive (and in most cases irretrievable) losses of paleobiological information. However, recent developments of conceptual issues and methodological approaches have revealed that the decrease in paleobiological information runs parallel to the gain of taphonomic information. This taphonomic imprinting often makes it possible to decode the fraction of paleobiological information that was lost during fossilization, and may also contribute new data for deciphering paleobiological information that was not originally preserved in the assemblage, such as paleoethology. A good example is the study of the macrovertebrate assemblage from the lower Pleistocene site at Venta Micena (Orce, southeastern Spain). Taphonomic analysis showed that the giant, short-faced hyenas (Pachycrocuta brevirostris) selectively transported ungulate carcasses and body parts to their maternity dens as a function of the mass of the ungulates scavenged. The fracturing of major limb bones in the dens was also highly selective, correlating with marrow content and mineral density. Important differences in bone-cracking intensity were related to which species the bones came from, which in turn biased the composition of the bone assemblage. The analysis of mortality patterns deduced for ungulate species from juvenile/adult proportions revealed that most skeletal remains were scavenged by the hyenas from carcasses of animals hunted by hypercarnivores, such as saber-tooths and wild dogs. Analytical study of the Venta Micena assemblage has unlocked paleobiological information that was lost during its taphonomic history, and has even provided paleobiological information that was not preserved in the original bone assemblage, such as the paleoethology of P. brevirostris, which differed substantially from modern hyenas in being a strict scavenger of the prey hunted by other carnivores.

scholarly journals A new species of dog from the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena (Orce, Baza Basin, Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bienvenido MARTINEZ-NAVARRO ◽  
Saverio BARTOLINI LUCENTI ◽  
Paul PALMQVIST ◽  
Sergio ROS-MONTOYA ◽  
Joan MADURELL-MALAPEIRA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Fossil Material ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
The Town ◽  
A New Species

The site of Venta Micena (Orce, Spain), c. 1.6 Ma, preserves one the best paleontological records of the early Pleistocene large mammals fauna in Europe. Here we describe the specimens of the genus Canis Linnaeus, 1758 in the context of the late Villafranchian and Epivillafranchian fossil dogs from Eurasia. Anatomical and metric data suggest that the Venta Micena Canis form differs from the classical records of Canis etruscus Forsyth Major, 1877 and Canis arnensis Del Campana, 1913, and that it forms part of the younger Canis mosbachensis Soergel (1925) lineage, also recorded in two slightly younger sites of the Orce site complex, Barranco León and Fuente Nueva-3, dated to c. 1.4 Ma. The anatomy of the Venta Micena fossil material shows features that resemble the Canis forms from the Caucasian site of Dmanisi, dated to 1.8 Ma, and Canis ex gr. C. mosbachensis. Nevertheless, dental peculiarities support the creation of a new chrono-species, Canis orcensis n. sp., from the town of Orce. Morphological and paleoecological data suggest that this species probably consumed more vertebrate flesh than other similar sized early Pleistocene canids (i.e., a trend to hypercarnivory), which had more omnivorous dietary habits.

The Early Pleistocene assemblages of large mammals from Orce (Baza Basin, SE Spain)

TaphonomieS ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 509-522
Author(s):  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
Patrocinio Espigares
Keyword(s):  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Se Spain

Resource availability and competition intensity in the carnivore guild of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena (Orce, Baza Basin, SE Spain)

2017 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 154-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Rodríguez-Gómez ◽  
Paul Palmqvist ◽  
Sergio Ros-Montoya ◽  
M. Patrocinio Espigares ◽  
Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Competition Intensity ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Venta Micena

scholarly journals Copper as Dietary Supplement for Bone Metabolism: A Review

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2246
Author(s):  
Mariangela Rondanelli ◽  
Milena Anna Faliva ◽  
Vittoria Infantino ◽  
Clara Gasparri ◽  
Giancarlo Iannello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Bone Mineral ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Dietary Copper ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Copper Supplementation

While in vitro and animal studies of osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity as well as bone resistance for copper are numerous, and the results encouraging in terms of regulation, human studies are scarce. The aim of this narrative review was to investigate the correlation of blood copper, daily copper intake, and copper supplementation with bone mineral density. This review included 10 eligible studies: five studies concerned copper blood levels, one study concerned daily copper intake, and four studies concerned copper supplementation. Blood copper levels did not show statistically significant differences in four of the studies analyzed, while only one study showed differences between osteoporotic and healthy women, although only with women between 45 and 59 years of age and not between 60 and 80 years of age. The dietary copper intake among women with or without osteoporosis did not show any differences. Only one study with a small sample of subjects carried out these assessments; therefore, it is a topic that the literature must deepen with further studies. The two studies that analyzed the integration of copper (2.5–3 mg/day) only showed good results in terms of slowing down bone mineral loss and reducing resorption markers, confirming the effectiveness of copper supplementation on bone metabolism.

scholarly journals Geochemical and sedimentary constraints on the formation of the Venta Micena early Pleistocene site (Guadix-Baza Basin, Spain)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Granados ◽  
Oriol Oms ◽  
Pere Anadón ◽  
Jordi Ibáñez-Insa ◽  
Anu Kaakinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Freshwater Wetlands ◽  
Freshwater Wetland ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Bulk Rock ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Marginal Areas ◽  
Invertebrate Fossils ◽  
Venta Micena ◽  
Lake Dynamics

AbstractDespite the paleontological relevance of the terrestrial Early Pleistocene Venta Micena bonebed (Baza Basin, Spain), it lacks a comprehensive geochemical/sedimentological study. Here, we demonstrate that the 1.5-m-thick Venta Micena limestone formed in a relatively small freshwater wetland/pond located at the periphery of the large saline Baza paleolake. Two microfacies are observed, with high and low contents of invertebrate fossils, and which originated in the centre and margin of the wetland, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogy and paleohydrological characterization based on ostracod and bulk-rock geochemistry (δ13C and δ18O) indicate that the limestone reflects a general lowstand of the Baza lake, permitting the differentiation of freshwater wetlands that were fed by adjacent sources. Conversely, during highstands, the Baza lake flooded the Venta Micena area and the freshwater fauna was replaced by a saline one. Bulk-rock isotopic data indicate that the lower interval C1 of the limestone (bone-rich in marginal settings) displays general negative values, while the upper interval C2 (bone free) displays less negative values. The bones of predated mammals accumulated in the marginal areas, which were flooded and buried by recurring water-table fluctuations. Lake dynamics played a critical role in bone accumulation, which was previously considered as representing a hyena den.

scholarly journals Elephant bones for the Middle Pleistocene toolmaker

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256090
Author(s):  
Paola Villa ◽  
Giovanni Boschian ◽  
Luca Pollarolo ◽  
Daniela Saccà ◽  
Fabrizio Marra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Bone Tools ◽  
Lithic Industry ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis

The use of bone as raw material for implements is documented since the Early Pleistocene. Throughout the Early and Middle Pleistocene bone tool shaping was done by percussion flaking, the same technique used for knapping stone artifacts, although bone shaping was rare compared to stone tool flaking. Until recently the generally accepted idea was that early bone technology was essentially immediate and expedient, based on single-stage operations, using available bone fragments of large to medium size animals. Only Upper Paleolithic bone tools would involve several stages of manufacture with clear evidence of primary flaking or breaking of bone to produce the kind of fragments required for different kinds of tools. Our technological and taphonomic analysis of the bone assemblage of Castel di Guido, a Middle Pleistocene site in Italy, now dated by 40Ar/39Ar to about 400 ka, shows that this general idea is inexact. In spite of the fact that the number of bone bifaces at the site had been largely overestimated in previous publications, the number of verified, human-made bone tools is 98. This is the highest number of flaked bone tools made by pre-modern hominids published so far. Moreover the Castel di Guido bone assemblage is characterized by systematic production of standardized blanks (elephant diaphysis fragments) and clear diversity of tool types. Bone smoothers and intermediate pieces prove that some features of Aurignacian technology have roots that go beyond the late Mousterian, back to the Middle Pleistocene. Clearly the Castel di Guido hominids had done the first step in the process of increasing complexity of bone technology. We discuss the reasons why this innovation was not developed. The analysis of the lithic industry is done for comparison with the bone industry.

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