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Date Published: 23/06/2021
ARCHIVED - Remains of oldest lynx in Europe found in Abanilla
The remains of the 1-million-year-old feline were found at the Quibas paleontological site, along with bones from several other large vertebrates
The partial skeleton of a million-year-old lynx has been found in the Quibas paleontological site in Abanilla (Murcia) during this year’s excavation carried out by members of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (Iphes-Cerca).
The remains of over 100 different large and small vertebrates were found, including the lynx skeleton,
at the Quibas site, making this year’s campaign the most successful since 2014.
Eight people participated in the excavation, which took place from May 1-15, including a geologist from the University of Granada, an archaeologist from the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (Cenieh), an Italian archaeologist, an archaeologist from the University of Murcia, a biology student from the University of Murcia and three paleontologists from Iphes-Cerca.
Several different lynx bones have been identified, including canines, femurs, tibiae, radiuses, ulnas, metatarsals, metacarpals, phalanges and vertebrae, all of which are believed to be from the same animal.
The discovery is the oldest and most complete record of this feline found in the Iberian Peninsula from the Early Pleistocene age, from 2.58 million years ago until 0.77 million years ago. These remains are also believed to be the oldest Lynx bones found in Europe.
According to one of the archaeologists who made the discovery, this partial skeleton will help to clarify the evolutionary history of this protected species. The same archaeologist also mentioned some of the other remains found at the site, including well-preserved teeth and bones belonging to rhinos, horses, macaques, foxes, goats, deer, hares, turtles and birds of prey.
The Quibas archaeological site, which is an Item of Cultural Interest (BIC), dates back to between 1,200,000 and 1,000,000 years ago and is particularly important within Europe due to the concentration of continental vertebrates from that period.
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