engleski

Avifauna of south Istria (Croatia) during Late Glacial

Istria is a peninsula in the northern part of Adriatic coast that is characterized by temperate climate. However, during the Late Glacial period Istria was continental hilly to sub-mountain region above Great Adriatic Plain (Šercelj, 1996). After the Last Glacial Maximum, sea level started to rise and gradually flooded this plain in the next 10.000 years. A few cold and warm phases, stadials and interstadials, exchanged during that, relatively short period of time. In this study, we examine how these climatic and environmental changes affected avifauna and what were the main agents of accumulation of bird remains. To answer these questions, we analyzed bird remains both taxonomically and taphonomically from two Palaeolithic sites in south Istria, fossil cave Šandalja II and cave Ljubićeva pećina that are 4 km and 13 km away from the town of Pula. Avifaunal assemblages show that during the Late Glacial period different habitat types existed in south Istria. In older layers (ca. 15 -16 ky BP) of the Šandalja II assemblage species indicative for open environment were dominant and in younger layers (ca. 13 - 14 ky BP) species common for water- and forest environment were more numerous. In the assemblage of Ljubićeva pećina, however, species that are characteristic for rocky environment were dominant in both older and younger layers. Preliminary results from another trench of Ljubićeva pećina show presence of water species (e.g. various species of Anatidae and Podicipedidae families) and forest species (Tetrao urogallus and Aegolius funereus), which could be comparable with Šandalja II (but this layers haven't been apsolute dated yet). Birds that nowadays live in boreal region (Lagopus lagopus) or on mountains (Pyrrhocorax graculus) were also recorded on both sites. Cut marks and burned bones, as evidence of human use of birds, are found on both sites, in older and younger levels as well. Small carnivore tooth marks are recorded in Šandalja, which indicate animal predator. Other birds, such as rock dove, raven, jackdaw and alpine chough probably lived and nested in the cave or crevices near the cave.

Avifauna; cave; fossil cave; Istria; Late Glacial

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