Small-mammals from the Middle Pleistocene layers of the Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, northwestern Spain)

A new biochronological, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic scenario for the latest Middle Pleistocene (ca. 250-350 ka) in the Sierra de Atapuerca emerges from the first description of its small-mammal assemblage at Sima del Elefante. The highly diverse TEURU phase fauna, comprising 17 species including insectivores, chiropters, rodents and a lagomorph, points to a patchy landscape of humid meadows and woodlands under mild climatic conditions. These findings, compared with other proxies like herpetofauna, malacofauna, large-mammals and charcoals, refine our understanding of environmental dynamics during this period in northwestern Spain.

LÓPEZ GARCÍA, J. M., BLAIN, H. A., DE MARFÀ I TAILLEFER, R., GARCÍA, A., MARTINELL, J., BENNASAR FÉLIX, M. L., & CUENCA BESCÓS, G. (2011). Small-mammals from the Middle Pleistocene layers of the Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, northwestern Spain). Geologica Acta, 9(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.1344/105.000001644