Prey Selection and Transport Patterns in Neanderthal Bison Hunting

The article examines the hunting strategies employed by Neanderthals at Chagyrskaya Cave (Altai, Russia) through a comprehensive taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of Bison priscus remains from Upper Pleistocene deposits. The research focuses on prey selection — specifically, the age and sex composition of hunted individuals and the preferential transportation of specific carcass segments to the cave. Taphonomic evidence confirms that the majority of bison bones in layers 6a, 6b, and 6c result from anthropogenic accumulation. Zooarchaeological data reveal the butchery of at least 18 bison, with a predominance of prime-aged adults (3–6 years). The presence of adult individuals and the predominance of females suggest that Neanderthals primarily targeted matriarchal (mixed) bison herds typical of winter-spring, when post-rut herds are dominated by females, juveniles, and a limited number of males. Among the hunted bison, at least two were 3–4 months pregnant, which indicates an episode of hunting in winter and extends evidence for multi-seasonal cave occupation. If Bison priscus exhibited seasonal altitudinal migrations Neanderthals may have strategically occupied Chagyrskaya Cave to intercept migratory herds, suggesting a seasonal or follow-the-herd hunting mobility pattern. Estimations of minimal meat yield, calibrated against the approximate caloric requirements of a Neanderthal group (~15 individuals), suggest that it could sustain the group for approximately 70 days, excluding contributions from fat. Quantitative spatial analysis of skeletal elements, conducted via QGIS plug-in de­monstrates a selective transport bias toward meat-rich long bones, with diaphyseal fragments dominating the assemblage. The lack of epiphyses likely reflects anthropogenic processing or carnivore scavenging

Carnivore · Cave · Neanderthal · Pleistocene · Predation · Taphonomy · Ungulate · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Primate Behavior and Ecology