Homo vs. Pachycrocuta: Earliest evidence of competition for an elephant carcass between scavengers at Fuente Nueva-3 (Orce, Spain)

Homo and Pachycrocuta were the two major agents responsible for modifying and accumulating bones during early Pleistocene times in Europe. However, although an intense competition between hominins and hyenas in the access to scavengeable resources has long been proposed, currently there is no conclusive evidence for corroborating or ruling out this hypothesis. This paper presents indirect evidence of competitive behavior between both species, recovered from the Upper Archaeological Level of Fuente Nueva-3 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, southeastern Spain). It consists of a number of coprolites and tools that surround an incomplete elephant carcass, which suggests that humans and hyenas may have competed for the consumption of this megaherbivore. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.