An IPHES-CERCA study reveals the complexity of predators that accumulated rabbit remains at Atapuerca

A team from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) proposes that the rabbit remains (more than 200 bones belonging to 17 individuals) from level TE9d of the Sima del Elefante site were accumulated by the activity of three different predators: a lynx, an eagle owl, and a small mustelid.

This is the main conclusion of the article published in the prestigious journal Historical Biology, in a study led by Maria Boada, predoctoral researcher at IPHES-CERCA, with the participation of Dr. Rosa Huguet, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and coordinator of the excavations at Sima del Elefante.

Three predators, one site

The taphonomic analysis identified a set of diverse modifications pointing to the origin of a mixed accumulation, resulting from the intervention of different agents and not just a single predator. The main agent is the lynx, a hunter with a highly specialized diet of rabbits. Rabbit consumption by the eagle owl has also been documented. Finally, the remains show marks produced by a small mustelid (probably a weasel) that scavenged the remains once abandoned.

“Small carnivores, such as weasels, have often gone unnoticed in taphonomic studies, but our work shows that they can play a relevant role in the formation of bone assemblages,” explains Maria Boada, predoctoral researcher at IPHES-CERCA and first author of the article.

Small carnivores come into play

One of the most innovative results is the identification of a small mustelid as an accumulating agent. Until now, these animals were difficult to identify in the fossil record due to their behavior and the lack of specific studies on the modifications they produce during prey consumption. This study demonstrates that they are not only capable of hunting rabbits but also act as scavengers, taking advantage of remains abandoned by other predators.

According to Rosa Huguet, co-author of the study and researcher at IPHES-CERCA, “this research helps us to better understand the interaction between predators and hominins at the beginning of the Pleistocene, while also avoiding confusion between human and non-human activities.”

Implications for the first Europeans

Level TE9d of the Sima del Elefante is chronologically very close to TE9c, where the oldest human remains in Europe were identified, dated to approximately 1.2 million years ago and attributed to Homo aff. erectus.

The new research provides a more complete picture of the ecosystem in which these first humans lived, showing how they competed and coexisted with other predators. Understanding the complexity of these natural processes is essential for reconstructing the Pleistocene ecological landscape and for accurately distinguishing human activity from that of other animals.

A window into the past through taphonomy

The study highlights the importance of taphonomy (the discipline that studies the processes that can alter bones from the moment of the individual’s death) when applied to small mammal remains. Identifying the modifications produced and the type of accumulation generated by small carnivores makes it possible to avoid misinterpretations and better understand the origin of accumulations in prehistoric sites.

It also underlines the need to continue working on studies of small carnivores, particularly neotaphonomic studies (based on the analysis of modern animals), which are essential to better understand the fossil record and to prevent misinterpretations about the interaction of the first European hominins with their environment.

Bibliographic reference

Boada, M., & Huguet, R. (2025). Accumulation and hunting agents of leporids: the TE9d assemblage from Sima del Elefante site (Sierra de Atapuerca). Historical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2547962