Pollen in hyaena coprolites reflects late glacial landscape in southern Spain

The presence of coprolites and bone remains of spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) together with bone remains of alleged preys in Las Ventanas Cave (Granada) indicates that the spotted hyaena persisted in southern Spain until the Lateglacial. Pollen analysis of hyaena coprolites is used in conjunction with existing pollen records to improve our picture of the vegetation in the region at c. 12 780 cal yr BP. Although many coprolites were sterile, 10 of them showed good pollen preservation, relatively high pollen concentration and diversity of both herbaceous and arboreal types. Because of the relatively high pollen concentration of several coprolites, it is postulated that pollen is largely incorporated into the coprolite through the stomach contents of plant-consuming prey. Dietary behaviour does not preclude palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. The coprolite pollen record compares closely with pollen spectra from lateglacial sediments in the adjacent Carihuela Cave and other regional pollen records. It depicts a mosaic landscape comprising pine forests, steppes of Artemisia with juniper, and grassland. Lower frequencies of Quercus, Betula, Abies, Corylus, Alnus, Acer, Taxus, Myrtus, Olea, Pistacia, Ephedra fragilis, and Rhamnus, among others, suggest that oak forests with temperate trees and thermo-Mediterranean scrub persisted in less continental situations of the Betic cordilleras.