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Late Pleistocene alpine marmot Marmota marmota (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Sciuridae, Rodentia, Mammalia) from some Croatian sites

Three of numerous Croatian cave sites, where remains of Marmota marmota (LINNAEUS, 1758) have been discovered, are Pećina na Šaftici, Druška peć and Pećina na Gradini, all in Istria (W Croatia). The caves today are not located at very high altitudes above sea level (335 m a.s.l. /Druška peć/, ~ 400 m a.s.l. /Pećina na Šaftici/, and 452 m a.s.l. /Pećina na Gradini /). Along with other animal remains, alpine marmot skeletal elements have been also recovered during occasional, unsystematic excavations. For the first time the material (108 fossil isolated teeth and bones) has been morphometrically analysed. The following anatomical elements were determined: cranii, mandibulae (with and without teeth), dentis, humerii, ulnae, radii, ossa coxae, femoris, tibiae and astragalus. Today the material is stored at the Natural History Museum in Rijeka. From Late Pleistocene sediments of Pećina na Šaftici cave originate 105 marmot specimens, while from Druška peć come two isolated teeth, and from Pećina na Gradini only one mandible with teeth. Late Pleistocene deposits in Pećina na Šaftici comprise also other faunal remains like: Aves, Amphibia, Insectivora, Lepus sp., Dinaromys sp. and other rodents, then Ursus spelaeus, U. arctos, Meles sp., Martes sp., Cervus elaphus and other mammals (Malez, 1963, 1972). From the site Druška peć, sinter above the mammal findings has been dated as 16.986 ± ; ; 260 years BP. Beside alpine marmot, other fauna (Lagopus sp., Canis lupus, Ursus spelaeus, Panthera spelaea, and Capra ibex) has been excavated (Malez et al., 1979). Only two isolated marmot incisives have been found, and they belong to two different individuals. The deposits of the site Pećina na Gradini, beside only one marmot mandible with teeth, comprise also remains of different taxa such as: Aves, micromammals, Ursus spelaeus, Panthera spelaea, Canis lupus, and Cervus elaphus (Malez, 1987). Morphometrical comparisons of skeletal parts have been made for some parameters with scarse material from Krapina site (~ 130 ka BP ; Miracle, 2007), more abundant Late Pleistocene (OIS 3) material from Divje babe I cave (Slovenia ; Toškan, 2007), and with some recent comparative material from unknown localities (stored at the Institute for Quaternary paleontology and geology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts), respectively. No significant differences have been found, although in some parameters slight differences occur, probably owing to sexual dimorphism and/or individual age. Alpine marmots disappeared from the regions of Istria and Croatian Primorje at the end of the Late Pleistocene or beginning of the Holocene. The species is not a member of recent Croatian faunal assemblages.

alpine marmot; Late Pleistocene; Croatia

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