ULAS
University of Leicester Archaeological Services

Glaston Early Upper Palaeolithic Project: The Animals

Late Glacial Fauna

The late glacial fauna was rich in diversity and was supported by the extensive grasslands of the Mammoth Steppe environment existing over much of Europe at the time. Large herds of herbivorous mammals such as woolly mammoth, bison, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and horse inhabited the steppe landscape and fed on the rich grasses and herbs growing there. In turn, these herds were prey to the large predators of the time such as spotted hyena, cave lion, wolves, wolverines and small groups of humans. Although some of the species are extinct today, such as the mammoth, others have shifted habitat in response to climatic changes. Lions and hyenas are for example, now exclusively confined to Africa.

Above is an image of the hyena den (© Jane Brayne). Spotted hyenas are seen sitting on one of the limestone ‘rafts’ at Glaston. Other pack members are emerging from a series of burrows or scrapes that have been dug into the soft sands beneath the ‘rafts’. In the background a herd of woolly mammoth look on as a lone woolly rhinoceros is brought to ground by a group of hyenas. In the foreground a wolverine searches through the food remains discarded by the hyenas.

Read more about the animals:-

• Spotted Hyena
• Woolly Mammoth
• Woolly Rhinoceros
• Wolverine
• Early Wild Horse