Sur un poisson gravé magdalénien de la grotte Margot (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne) [On a Magdalenian engraved fish in the Margot cave (Thorigne-en-Charnie, Mayenne, France)]

National audienceAn engraved fish that can be attributed to the final Magdalenian period was discovered in 2010 in the Margot cave (Thorigne-en-Charnie, Mayenne, France). It shows graphic details that allow us to propose some clues to taxonomic determination. It must be a freshwater fish; the hypothesis of a Cyprinidae such as a tench is acceptable, considering that the 3.1 layer of the nearby Rochefort cave, attributable to the Final Paleolithic, has yielded a branchial arch of another Cyprinidae (probably a chub or a dace). Fish is not a usual theme in Paleolithic wall art. Here it is associated with another engraved animal figure, which is not fully determinable (seal or other fish). (C) 2014 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved