Hindawi Publishing Corporation Paleontology Journal Volume 2014, Article ID 106203, 34 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/106203 Research Article Palaeopopulations of Late Pleistocene Top Predators in Europe: Ice Age Spotted Hyenas and Steppe Lions in Battle and Competition about Prey Cajus G. Diedrich Private Research Institute Paleologic, Petra Bezruce 96,26751 Zdice, Czech Republic Correspondence should be addressed to Cajus G. Diedrich;
[email protected] Received 21March 2013; Accepted 11June 2013 Academic Editor: Vlad Codrea Copyright © 2014 Cajus G. Diedrich. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) and steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) were top predators in Central Europe. Te fossil record (2.303 hyena/1.373 lion bones = ratio 3/1) from 106 cave and open air sites demonstrates comparable associations to modern African hyenas/lions resulting in competition about prey and territory. Cannibalism within extinct spotted hyenas is well documented, including two individual skeletons. Tose hyenas produced bone accumulations at dens. Feeding specializations on diferent megamammal groups are demonstrated for Late Pleistocene hyenas whose prey partly overlaps (e.g., cave bears) with those of lions and wolves. At most fossil sites, 1–3% of the lion remains indicate scavenging of lions by hyenas. Te larger Late Pleistocene felids focussed on cervids (reindeers specialization during the high glacial = LGM), on bovids (steppe bison/aurochs), and possibly on saiga antelope and on the cave bear, hunting deep in caves during their hibernations and targeting cubs.