Cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea) Den and Nursery : artistic reconstruction of Cuvier 2 Cave (Haute-Saône, France)

International audienceThe Cuvier 2 cave at Fouvent-le-Bas (1989-1992 and 2021 excavations) has yielded a large number of carnivores remains, of which the cave hyena is the main representative. When all levels are combined, up to 92 hyenas were counted. The bone and dental remains of the cave hyena showed that all age classes are present in the main gallery and its diverticula (from the youngest cubs up to the oldest animals), in association with their main prey, woolly rhinoceros and horse. Even though Cuvier Cave 2 was originally considered a hyena den, the numerous dental remains belonging to juveniles also support the hypothesis of a nursery. This poster takes us into the world of the hyena. A primary hunter and occasional scavenger, hyenas used both strategies for their survival of their clans in the steppe-tundra environment of the vast Vannon plain. This plain abounded of large mammals and its limestone relief provided a favourable context for both natural traps and dens as well.La grotte Cuvier 2 à Fouvent-le-Bas (campagne 1989-1992 et 2021) a livré un grand nombre de carnivores dont l’hyène des cavernes est le principal représentant. Tous niveaux confondus, jusqu’à 92 hyènes sont dénombrées dans cette grotte. Les restes osseux et dentaires de l’hyène des cavernes ont montré que toutes les catégories d’âge sont présentes dans la galerie principale et ses diverticules (des plus petits hyénons aux plus vieux animaux) aux côtés de leurs proies telles que le rhinocéros laineux et le cheval. La grotte Cuvier 2 était donc un repaire, mais les restes dentaires très nombreux de juvéniles valident aussi l’hypothèse d’une nurserie. Ce poster nous entraine donc dans le monde de l’hyène, chasseuse redoutable et parfois charognard pour la survie de son clan dans un environnement de steppe-toundra où l’esplanade de la vaste plaine du Vannon devait regorger de troupeaux de mammifères et où le relief calcaire devait offrir des pièges mais aussi des habitats

Extinct steppe-tundra fauna from Cuvier 1 and Cuvier 2 cave at Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, France)

International audienceStudies of the fauna from the Cave « Cuvier 1 » and the various levels of the cave « Cuvier 2 » at Fouvent-le-Bas have encouraged artists and scientists to reconstruct the extinct fauna of large mammals, carnivores and microfauna that used these sites. In both caves, the fauna represents those typical of the steppe-tundra in which the woolly mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros, the steppe horse and the cave hyena predominatedl. The artistic reconstructions are faithful to the results issued by researchers (taxa, size, weight, ethology of the animals) which, when placed in a past environment, help us to appreciate the coexistence and competition of the mammalian species (mainly of predator-prey dynamics) as well as the relations and interactions between Human and fauna who shared the same territories and ecosystems

30 years later…. a new start for the excavations at the Cuvier 2 cave, Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, France),

International audienceIn the village of Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, France), two emblematic caves were occupied by both humans and fauna during cold conditions of the Late Pleistocene. Both are located at the edge of the village on the right bank of the Vannon river. The oldest cave is "l'abri Cuvier 1" (excavation of 1825 to 1886), a world-famous archeo-palaeontological site yielding faunal bone remains. Baron Georges Cuvier used as index fossils to recognize the Woolly Mammoth (Cuvier, 1812) and to differenciate the ancient cave hyena from the extant spotted one (Cuvier, 1825). 165 years later, 20 meters away, along the same limestone escarpment, a long gallery 12 meters long and named « Cuvier 2 » was discovered yielding bone material similar to that found at “Abri Cuvier 1. From 1989 to 1992, field work (dir. D. Morin, J. Detrey, G. Huguenin) generated abundant bones remains consisting in typical steppe-tundra mammals (mammoth, rhino, horse) and carnivores (hyena and lion cave). In addition, the lithic industry reveals cores, flakes and tools which belong to the Mousterian but also in the highest levels in the upper Palaeolithic, some projectiles such as Gravette and microgravette points. In 2021, 30 years later, we reopened « Cuvier 2 » gallery and its diverticula (dir. A. Lamotte) in order to cross-reference all the data inherent in this karstic complex from « Cuvier 1 » and « Cuvier 2 » that offered shelter to fauna and human communities during the Late Pleistocene. The use of drones with 5 bands multispectral view and other new technology like photogrammetry have been key additions to this most recent episode of fieldwork. They have allowed new data to be generated from these ancient caves

Preliminary data on the Middle Pleistocene site of Lunel Viel I (Hérault, France)

Abstract The archeo-paleontological site of Mas des Caves at Lunel-Viel (Hérault), in Southeastern France, is an important site, well-known for its diversified vertebrate remains dated to the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. Following a brief presentation of the historical context, preliminary data, collected through new research, are discussed, focusing on the general fossil distribution and new analyses of leporids, carnivores, rhinocerotids and cervids to better define their taxonomy, paleoecology and biochronology

30 years later…. a new start for the excavations at the Cuvier 2 cave, Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, France),

International audienceIn the village of Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, France), two emblematic caves were occupied by both humans and fauna during cold conditions of the Late Pleistocene. Both are located at the edge of the village on the right bank of the Vannon river. The oldest cave is "l'abri Cuvier 1" (excavation of 1825 to 1886), a world-famous archeo-palaeontological site yielding faunal bone remains. Baron Georges Cuvier used as index fossils to recognize the Woolly Mammoth (Cuvier, 1812) and to differenciate the ancient cave hyena from the extant spotted one (Cuvier, 1825). 165 years later, 20 meters away, along the same limestone escarpment, a long gallery 12 meters long and named « Cuvier 2 » was discovered yielding bone material similar to that found at “Abri Cuvier 1. From 1989 to 1992, field work (dir. D. Morin, J. Detrey, G. Huguenin) generated abundant bones remains consisting in typical steppe-tundra mammals (mammoth, rhino, horse) and carnivores (hyena and lion cave). In addition, the lithic industry reveals cores, flakes and tools which belong to the Mousterian but also in the highest levels in the upper Palaeolithic, some projectiles such as Gravette and microgravette points. In 2021, 30 years later, we reopened « Cuvier 2 » gallery and its diverticula (dir. A. Lamotte) in order to cross-reference all the data inherent in this karstic complex from « Cuvier 1 » and « Cuvier 2 » that offered shelter to fauna and human communities during the Late Pleistocene. The use of drones with 5 bands multispectral view and other new technology like photogrammetry have been key additions to this most recent episode of fieldwork. They have allowed new data to be generated from these ancient caves