Department Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain.
IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, 48013, Bilbao, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 12;8(1):10551. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28377-y.
Neandertals were top predators who basically relied on middle- to large-sized ungulates for dietary purposes, but there is growing evidence that supports their consumption of plants, leporids, tortoises, marine resources, carnivores and birds. The Iberian Peninsula has provided the most abundant record of bird exploitation for meat in Europe, starting in the Middle Pleistocene. However, the bird and carnivore exploitation record was hitherto limited to the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present the first evidence of bird and carnivore exploitation by Neandertals in the Cantabrian region. We have found cut-marks in two golden eagles, one raven, one wolf and one lynx remain from the Mousterian levels of Axlor. The obtaining of meat was likely the primary purpose of the cut-marks on the golden eagle and lynx remains. Corvids, raptors, felids and canids in Axlor could have likely acted as commensals of the Neandertals, scavenging upon the carcasses left behind by these hunter-gatherers. This could have brought them closer to Neandertal groups who could have preyed upon them. These new results provide additional information on their dietary scope and indicate a more complex interaction between Neandertals and their environment.
尼安德特人是顶级掠食者，他们的饮食主要依赖于中型至大型有蹄类动物，但越来越多的证据表明，他们也食用植物、兔类、龟类、海洋资源、肉食动物和鸟类。伊比利亚半岛为欧洲提供了最丰富的中更新世以来肉类鸟类开发利用的记录。然而，迄今为止，鸟类和肉食动物的开发利用记录仅限于伊比利亚半岛的地中海地区。在这里，我们首次提供了尼安德特人在坎塔布连地区开发利用鸟类和肉食动物的证据。我们在阿克斯洛的莫斯特文化层发现了两只金鹰、一只乌鸦、一只狼和一只猞猁的切割痕迹。金鹰和猞猁遗骸上的切割痕迹很可能是获取肉类的主要目的。在阿克斯洛的乌鸦、猛禽、猫科动物和犬科动物很可能是尼安德特人的共生动物，它们以这些狩猎采集者留下的尸体为食。这可能使它们更接近捕食它们的尼安德特人族群。这些新的结果提供了关于他们饮食范围的更多信息，并表明尼安德特人与环境之间存在更复杂的相互作用。
