The emergence of lithic technology by ≈ 2.6 million years ago (Ma) is often interpreted as a correlate of increasingly recurrent hominin acquisition and consumption of animal remains. Associated faunal evidence, however, is poorly preserved prior to ≈ 1.8 Ma, limiting our understanding of early archaeological (Oldowan) hominin carnivory. Here, we detail three large well-preserved zooarchaeologi...

Species richness gradients are ubiquitous in nature, but the mechanisms that generate and maintain these patterns at macroecological scales remain unresolved. We use a new approach that focuses on overlapping geographical ranges of species to reveal that Indo-Pacific corals are assembled within 11 distinct faunal provinces. Province limits are characterized by co-occurrence of multiple species ...

Chemosynthetic primary production by microbes supports abundant faunal assemblages at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, with zonation of invertebrate species typically occurring along physico-chemical gradients. Recently discovered vent fields on the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the Southern Ocean represent a new province of vent biogeography, but the spatial dynamics of their distinct fauna have yet ...

Archaeologists frequently use many different sources of information to reconstruct ancient diets, including faunal and macrobotanical remains, pollen and phytoliths, as well as pottery residues, coprolites, and indirect sources such as skeletal pathology, dental wear patterns, artistic depictions, and ethnographic observations. In most cases, however, the result is only the determination of the...

The cave site of Moula-Guercy, 80 meters above the modern Rhone River, was occupied by Neanderthals approximately 100,000 years ago. Excavations since 1991 have yielded rich paleontological, paleobotanical, and archaeological assemblages, including parts of six Neanderthals. The Neanderthals are contemporary with stone tools and faunal remains in the same tightly controlled stratigraphic and sp...

Animal bones are common archaeological finds and it is well-recognised that their detailed study provides important information about past human activities (7, 8, 9).The major part of faunal assemblages are domestic animals skeletal remains (27). The identification and correct description of pathological changes plays significant role in understanding of the human-animal interactions in daily l...

Although Iran has a large geographic area encompassing 13 ecoregions, its simuliid fauna remains largely unexplored. To begin redressing this faunal gap, we reviewed literature records and coupled morphological and chromosomal identifications of material newly collected from 16 sites in Iran. Twenty-three nominal species are now recognized, including new country records for Simulium crassicaulu...

The analysis of the faunal remains from Shanidar Cave has identified an incomplete immature human distal leg and foot from the deepest levels of the Middle Paleolithic of Shanidar Cave, Iraq. The distal tibia, fibula, first metatarsal, and two tarsals, designated Shanidar 10, derive from a 1-2-year-old infant. The tibia exhibits a transverse line from a stress episode during the last quarter of...