Oulad Hamida 1 - Rhino Cave (Pleistocene of Morocco)

Also known as OH1-GDR, Grotte des Rhinocéros

Where: Morocco (33.6° N, 7.6° W: paleocoordinates 33.6° N, 7.6° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Middle Pleistocene (0.8 - 0.1 Ma)

• Middle Pleistocene, approx 0.4Ma. there are 13 different layers within the cave filling, only one of which contains fauna (CGDR or continental 'Grotte des Rhinocéros').

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: salvage,

• Discovered in 1991 in a working quarry. Stone tool assemblage contains several thousand artefacts.

Primary reference: D. Geraads. 2002. Plio-Pleistocene mammalian biostratigraphy of Atlantic Morocco. Quaternaire 13(1):43-53 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: archaeological analysis

PaleoDB collection 34330: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 27.08.2003, edited by Bethany Allen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Abundant rhinoceros remains. Arid environment rodents and large grazing mammals suggest an open, dry landscape.
Show authors, comments, and common names
Mammalia
 Chiroptera -
Chiroptera indet.
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779 bat
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus cf. mauritanicus
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Ceratotherium simum
Ceratotherium simum Burchell 1821 white rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Gazella cf. atlantica, Pelorovis ? antiquus, ? Oryx sp., ? Damaliscus sp., Connochaetes sp., Parmularius cf. angusticornis
Gazella cf. atlantica Bourguignat 1870 gazelle
Pelorovis ? antiquus Duvernoy 1851 antelope
? Oryx sp. de Blainville 1816 oryx
? Damaliscus sp. Sclater and Thomas 1894 antelope
Connochaetes sp. Lichtenstein 1812 wildebeest
Parmularius cf. angusticornis Schwarz 1937 antelope
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelus sp.
Camelus sp. Linnaeus 1758 camel
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Phacochoerus cf. africanus
Phacochoerus cf. africanus Gmelin 1788 common warthog
 Carnivora - Felidae
Panthera leo, Felis cf. sylvestris
Panthera leo Linnaeus 1758 lion
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Crocuta crocuta, Hyaena hyaena
Crocuta crocuta Erxleben 1777 spotted hyaena
Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus 1758 striped hyaena
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus bibersoni
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Canis aff. adustus" = Schaeffia adusta, Lupulella mohibi n. sp.1, Lycaon magnus1
"Canis aff. adustus" = Schaeffia adusta Sundevall 1847 side-striped jackal
Lupulella mohibi n. sp.1 Geraads 2011 canid
GDR-7966 (holotype), mostly complete cranium
Lycaon magnus1 Ewer and Singer 1956 canid
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Crocidura darelbeidae, Crocidura cf. tarfayaensis
Crocidura darelbeidae white-toothed shrew
Crocidura cf. tarfayaensis white-toothed shrew
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Erinaceidae indet.
Erinaceidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 hedgehog
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus cf. capensis, Serengetilagus raynali
Lepus cf. capensis Linnaeus 1758 cape hare
 Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix cf. cristata
Hystrix cf. cristata Linnaeus 1758 crested porcupine
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Eliomys darelbeidae
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Ellobius atlanticus
 Rodentia - Muridae
Gerbillus grandis, Gerbillus cf. campestris, Meriones maximus, Meriones maghrebianus, Mus hamidae, Praomys darelbeidae, Paraethomys tighennifae
Gerbillus grandis gerbil
Gerbillus grandis minor
Meriones maghrebianus jird
Meriones maghrebianus hamidae
Mus hamidae house mouse
Praomys darelbeidae African soft-furred rat
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Theropithecus cf. oswaldi
Theropithecus cf. oswaldi Andrews 1916 gelada
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Squamata indet.2
Squamata indet.2 Oppel 1811 squamates
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo sp.2
Testudo sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 turtle
Aves
  -
Aves indet.2
Aves indet.2 Linnaeus 1758 bird
several species (names not given)
1Geraads 2011; 2Raynal et al. 1993