Neandertal predation agenda reveals seasonal strategies during MIS 5-4 transition in Axlor, northatlantic Iberia.

As hunter-gatherers, neandertal groups were mobile, moving within their territory based on the availability of targeted resources. Their mobility was an integral part of their subsistence strategies. Level D of the Axlor site is an ideal assemblage for reconstructing human habitats and seasonal mobility, as the accumulation of animal carcasses is predominantly of anthropogenic origin. The study of dental remains shows that 99.3% of the remains belong to herbivores. The most common taxa are red deer, Iberian ibex, and steppe bison. Also present are horse, roe deer, chamois and narrow-nosed rhinoceros. The analysis of herbivore diets, using dental mesowear and microwear, indicates that regional and local habitats were dominated by dicots, corresponding to heathlands or forests with some grassy areas. In this context, bison were reconstructed as predominantly grazers while the other herbivorous taxa were mainly browsers. Estimates of mortality periods and duration show that the site was occupied in the warm season, either for long or short repeated stays. Wild goats were hunted throughout the warm season, supplemented by horses and red deer in summer and autumn, and bison in spring and autumn, with occasional predation on chamois, roe deer and rhinoceros. The site was probably geographically located at the intersection of the seasonal movements of several ungulate species, especially in autumn. The ecological characteristics of Axlor Level D were therefore particularly favourable for the procurement of animal-derived resources by Neandertals.