Southernmost Eurasian Record of Reindeer (Rangifer) in MIS 8 at Galería (Atapuerca, Spain)

Evidence of Progressive Southern Expansion of Glacial Fauna Across Climatic Cycles

Bibliographic Data

ID15801877
AuthorsJ Van Der Made (0000-0002-4807-4338, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, corresponding author), Ignacio Lazagabaster (0000-0001-9149-7371, University of Liverpool), Paula García-Medrano (0000-0002-4574-1019, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Isabel Cáceres (0000-0001-8487-2591, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social)
Year2025
Volume8
Issue3
Pages43-43
Publication date2025-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQuaternary (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2571-550X • E-ISSN: 2571-550X
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/quat8030043
OpenAlexW4412940887
LanguageEN
References cited37

During the Pleistocene, the successive ice ages prompted the southward expansion of the “Mammoth Steppe” ecosystem, a prevalent habitat that supported species adapted to cold environments such as the mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, and reindeer. Previously, the earliest evidence for such cold-adapted species in the Iberian Peninsula dated back to Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6, ~191–123 ka). This paper reports the discovery of a reindeer (Rangifer) tooth from Unit GIII of the Galería site at the Atapuerca-Trinchera site complex, dated to MIS 8 (~300–243 ka). This find is significant as it represents not only the oldest evidence of glacial fauna in the Iberian Peninsula but also the southernmost occurrence of reindeer in Europe of this age. The presence of Rangifer at this latitude (42°21′ N) during MIS 8 suggests that the glacial conditions affected the Iberian fauna earlier and with greater intensity than previously understood. Over the subsequent climatic cycles, cold-adapted species spread further south, reaching Madrid (40°20′) during the penultimate glacial period and the province of Granada (37°01′) during the last glacial maximum. The coexistence of human fossils and lithic artefacts within Units GII and GIII at Galería indicates that early humans also inhabited these glacial environments at Atapuerca. This study elaborates on the morphological and archaeological significance of the reindeer fossil, emphasizing its role in understanding the biogeographical patterns of glacial fauna and the adaptability of Middle Pleistocene human populations

Biology · Climate change · Fauna · Geography · Glacial period · Physical geography · Pleistocene · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology

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