Beavers (Castoridae, Rodentia, Mammalia) from the Quaternary sites of the Sierra de Atapuerca, in Burgos, Spain

The Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber is known from the Pleistocene in Europe, although there are references to the presence of the genus Castor since the Miocene, ca. 10 Ma. Beavers are present in the Iberian Peninsula since the Pliocene, though the first appearance of Castor fiber took place in the Early Pleistocene levels of the localities of the Sierra de Atapuerca, where the fossil beaver remains are found in the lower levels of Sima del Elefante and Gran Dolina (Early Pleistocene), Galería de las Estatuas (Late Pleistocene) and Portalón (Holocene). The presence of fossil beavers suggests humid and mild climatic conditions in the Early Pleistocene levels of Gran Dolina and Sima del Elefante. During the Middle Pleistocene, although conditions for beavers seemed favourable, they disappeared from Atapuerca, appearing again during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene.