The oldest mongoose of Europe |
| |
| Authors: | JA Riquelme-Cantal MD Simón-Vallejo P Palmqvist M Cortés-Sánchez |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Dpto. de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, E-18071 Granada, Spain;2. Fundación Cueva de Nerja. Crta. de Maro, s/n. E-29787 Málaga, Spain;3. Área de Paleontología, Universidad de Málaga. Campus Universitario de Teatinos, E-29071 Málaga, Spain;4. Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Córdoba. Plaza Cardenal Salazar 3, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain |
| |
| Abstract: | The Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, has no Pleistocene record in Europe. Consequently, it has been suggested that this animal was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs, who employed it for eliminating rodents and reptiles, as in the case of the genet, Genetta genetta. Here we describe a subfossil mongoose skull from the Cave of Nerja, southern Spain, which has been AMS dated 885 ± 40 years BP. This specimen constitutes the oldest record of mongooses in Europe, providing evidence that these animals were introduced during historical times in the South of the Iberian Peninsula. |
| |
| Keywords: | Mongoose Introduction Almoravid and Almohad emirates Nerja Cave |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
