Some small mammal fossils of Ucagizli Cave (Hatay, Turkey)

Abstract

Small mammal assemblages of Ucagizli Cave, 2 from the early Upper Paleolithic and 1 from the Epipaleolithic, spanning a period from 41 to 17 kya, are described. The remains are referred to as Chionomys nivalis, Microtus guentheri, Apodemus mystacinus, Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus witherbyi, Mus macedonicus, Mesocricetus brandti, Glirulus sp., Crocidura sp., Pipistrellus cf. kuhlii, and Myotis sp. The rodent fauna of Ucagizli suggests the dominance of open country and rocky ground with a woodland component. There does not seem to have been any essential environmental changes during the deposition of these layers. However, the poor sample of the Epipaleolithic hampers environmental conclusions. The rodent assemblages of Ucagizli contain European, local, and Asiatic elements. All of the rodent taxa from Ucagizli, except for Glirulus, are also known from the contemporaneous levels of Karain B and the extant fauna of the Hatay region. This shows that the rodent fauna of the eastern Mediterranean has not changed much since the Late Pleistocene.