A Mass Burial of Fossil Lions (Carnivora, Felidae, Panthera (Leo) ex gr. fossilis-spelaea) from Eurasia.
Gimranov, D O;Kotov, V G;Rumyantsev, M M;Silaev, V I;Yakovlev, A G;Yakovleva, T I;Zelenkov, N V;Sotnikova, M V;Devyashin, M M;Plasteeva, N A;Zaretskaya, N E;Nurmukhametov, I M;Smirnov, N G;Kosintsev, P A;
doklady biological sciences : proceedings of the academy of sciences of the ussr, biological sciences sections2018Vol. 482pp. 191-193
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gimranov2018adoklady
Abstract
The vertebrate fauna from the cave deposits in Imanai Cave in the Southern Urals (53°02' N, 56°26'E) has been studied. It contains 715 bones that belonged to at least 11 individuals of fossil lion (Panthera (Leo) ex gr. fossilis-spelaea). It has been established that this is one of the largest Eurasian burial sites of fossil lions. The bones were accumulated due to the natural death of animals inside the cave. The age and sex estimations have shown that at least six adult males and five adult females died there. According to the accompanying fauna, radiocarbon, geochemical, and mineralogical analyses and archaeological finds, the interval of the lion bone accumulation is determined as the first half to middle of Late Pleistocene (OIS 5-3).