The Hares from Cova Fosca (Castellón, Spain)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the finds of Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis Rosenhauer 1856) recovered from the shelter of Cova Fosca (Castellón, Spain). Human presence in the cave expands from the Epipalaeolithic to the Middle Neolithic. Along with a description of the remains from an anatomical and taphonomic standpoint, the paper incorporates a preliminary analysis of the diagnostic osteological characters that set the Iberian hare apart from the brown hare (Lepus europaeus, Pallas 1778) and the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus, Linnaeus 1758). A preliminary biometric analysis of the two hare species completes this comparative study. The nature of the accumulation of the hare remains is discussed and it is concluded that most probably, and despite the fact that a comparatively large number of bones exhibit burning marks, the hares at Fosca do not represent items hunted by people but instead leftovers of meals from predators, in particular the eagle owl (Bubo bubo, Linnaeus 1758).