Lagomorph exploitation during the Upper Palaeolithic in the Northern Iberian Peninsula. New evidence from Coimbre Cave (Asturias, Spain)

Traditionally, the Iberian Peninsula has been considered to be a land of rabbits, a notion reinforced through the frequent appearance of these animals throughout the Palaeolithic on Mediterranean sites. However, the Cantabrian coast has shown a different pattern, with rabbits being scarce or exceptional at most Northern peninsular sites, with only a few evidences of exploitation. Nevertheless, lagomorphs represent around 10% of the bone assemblage at the Upper Magdalenian levels of Coimbre Cave (Penamellera Alta, Asturias). In this paper, we conduct a taphonomical analysis of the rabbit assemblage from Coimbre Cave. We note that bones have been exposed to several taphonomical processes, including carnivore tooth marks, chemical alterations on teeth caused by raptor digestion, and the presence of cut-marks on some bone surfaces. Therefore, we argue that the rabbit assemblage at Coimbre is the result of a complex taphonomical history, with evidence for both anthropogenic activity and the actions of other biological agents. This new evidence retrieved from Coimbre Cave further highlights its exceptionality within other Cantabrian sites.