Palaeoecology of the Southern chamois from Valdegoba Cave (Burgos, Spain) and its exploitation by the Neanderthals

Abstract

The Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) is a small-sized bovid that currently inhabits the Cantabrian Mountain Range, the Pyrenees, and the Central Apennine Mountains. This species was exploited as a resource by Palaeolithic human groups of the northern region of the Iberian Peninsula, standing out in the record of the Cave of Valdegoba. The fossil record of this site has provided plenty of evidence of Neanderthal activity. According to taphonomic analyses, Neanderthals had primary access to prey and chamois was the most consumed species. Analysis of Valdegoba’s Southern chamois allows consideration of: (1), the age structure and the dynamics of the population; (2) the palaeobiological characteristics of this population (e.g. mortality rate by age intervals, growth rate or body mass); (3) comparison of the population dynamics of Valdegoba’s chamois with that of present-day populations of different species (R. rupicapra, R. pyrenaica); and (4) exploitation of the chamois by Neanderthals. We focussed on methodological aspects of population structure and mortality profiles using life tables with vital statistics, Leslie-Lewis matrices and ternary diagrams starting from tooth eruption and wear, whereas mass estimates were obtained from the postcranial bones. Cohort structures from extant Southern, Alpine and New Zealand chamois populations were compared to Valdegoba’s chamois to better understand the paleoenvironmental context of this fossil species. In addition, we calculated the amount of meat available to the Neanderthals and the extent of their range and its population implications. Our results show that the age structure of Valdegoba chamois reflects a very similar structure and ecological features to present-day populations. Moreover, modelling the age structure of Valdegoba population shows that Neanderthals could have exploited the Southern chamois without leading to the collapse of the population. Based on the results of energetic inputs related to the percentage of chamois in Valdegoba, where we estimate that a Neanderthal group would have had to exploit at least an area of between 61 and 99 km2 to cover their energetic requirements.