Last glacial climates, “Refugia”, and faunal change in Southeastern Europe: Mammalian assemblages from Veternica, Velika pećina, and Vindija caves (Croatia)

The large mammal and micromammal assemblages from Paleolithic cave sites in northwestern Croatia (Veternica, Velika pećina, and Vindija) suggest the presence of relatively temperate environments without dramatic oscillations in faunal composition during MIS 3, and possibly also including MIS 2 and 4. Species such as woolly rhinoceros, arctic fox, varying hare, and saiga antelope were not present, and the micromammal assemblages show that all taxa are indicators of a temperate, continental climate characterized by somewhat less forested conditions than those present today. Nonetheless, the region does not appear to have served as a refuge for mammals whose distribution today is north of Croatia. The region appears to have had a fairly diverse and productive mammal fauna, which in turn could have supported significant hominin populations. Faunal composition did not dramatically change across the Middle–Upper Paleolithic transition (ca. 40 000–30 000 BP). The apparent stability in mammalian faunas could be owing to several factors: A) a depositional/preservational bias for warmer phases, B) dampered climatic oscillations in the region, C) faunal communities buffered from climatic oscillations owing to microclimate, topography, etc. Resolution of these factors requires further research.