Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18 11 Larger vertebrates of the Iberomaurusian site and abdominal region), the embracing and the position of the origin Ifri El Baroud, NE Morocco (origin: in the region of the flank, the femur and the craniodorsal ∗ part of the pelvis). Thalia Jentke , Rainer Hutterer This is an indication, that overlapping living habits of carni- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, vores does not necessarily correlate with strong similarities in their Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany constructional subunits. E-mail address: [email protected] (T. Jentke). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.032 Ifri El Baroud is a cave site in the mountainous Rif Orien- tal in NE Morocco. It is one of three archeological sites in the Methods of postmortal age-determination in Maghreb that provides a complete archeological sequence of the Cricetus cricetus Iberomaurusian techno-complex. The site had been partially exca- vated in 1995/1996 by a German-Moroccan team. A new, finely S. Könnicke 1,∗, M. Faber 2, Stefanie Monecke 3, stratified excavation was conducted in 2015 as part of a multi- Clara Stefen 2 disciplinary project, the aim of which was to understand the 1 environmental conditions and the Human occupation of NW Africa Universität Leipzig, Germany 2 during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas (approx. Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen 30,000–11,500 calBP). We analyzed the occurrence and temporal Dresden, Museum für Tierkunde, Germany 3 variation of larger vertebrates and observed the presence and rel- Institute für Chronoökologie, Bismarckstr. 1, 7694 ative abundance of different species throughout a 2.65 m section Kehl, Germany divided into 53 spits. Identification of the faunal remains shows E-mail addresses: [email protected] (S. Könnicke), that the fauna of larger vertebrates is mainly composed of mam- [email protected] (C. Stefen). mals, including yet unidentified equids (Equus sp.), Cuvier’s Gazelle Two theses tested the applicability of three invasive, postmor- (Gazella cuvieri), Bubal Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), Aurochs tal methods for age determination on 33 laboratory specimens (Bos primigenius), and the common Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus of Cricetus cricetus with known age and different photoperiodical lervia), which is found throughout the section. All but G. cuvieri treatment. The overall length of long bones (femora and humeri) and A. lervia are extinct today. Barbary Lion, Leopard, Cape Hare, and the manifestation of the epiphyseal plate reflect length grow and Crested Porcupine were also present. Cutmarks and charring and indicate the age of an animal. patterns show that most bones represent discarded food remains of Young animals, about 100 days old, showed a well-developed prehistoric Man. In combination with new data on the microfauna, ridge in the epiphyseal plate whereas this ridge was closed in very gastropods, climate, vegetation and geomorphology our results old specimens of over 1000 days of age. The results of intermediate provide new insights into the palaeo-environment of NE Morocco. age groups overlapped making this method only reliable for either very young or very old age groups. The overall length of humeri http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.031 showed a higher correlation with age than femora did. Yet, the individual variance is too high within this small studied sample Comparative morphology of the m. cutaneus and sexual dimorphism clearly has to be considered so that this trunci of the polecat (Mustela putorius, method did not prove successful. Mustelidae) and the suricate (Suricata suricatta, The third method is skeletochronology which is based on growth Herpestidae) in girth of long bones. Observable lines (lines of arrested growth, LAGs) form, much like annual rings of trees, due to the periodi- Sandra N. Jungnickel cal apposition of new layers of bone in the Substantia compacta. State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, Cross-sections were prepared for 18 specimens and analysed under Palaeontology and Evolution section, Karlsruhe, polarized light. Different areas of a single bone showed a deviant Germany number of LAGs with the diaphysis generally featuring more than E-mail address: [email protected]. the epiphysis. The number of observed LAGs did not always meet the expectation. In general, carnivores are mammals with a highly movable Each method per se is unreliable for age determination but in trunk. To understand the biomechanics of the constructions of such combination they may be a useful tool. small carnivores like mustelids and herpestids, the anatomy of their musculoskeletal apparatus, the embracing system, and locomotion http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.033 and movements have to be investigated comparatively. The m. cutaneus trunci lies topographically beneath the skin of the trunk and shows high variability in its morphological form among mammals. For a constructional investigation, the m. cutaneus trunci of two carnivores with partial similar locomotor behaviour and living habits (terrestrial, cursorial, subterranean, semifossorial, resp.) has been compared. The polecat (Mustela putorius; Mustelidae), e.g., with its long trunk relative to the limbs is a mainly terrestrial hunter on large prey. They can also move underground and hunt in all kinds of narrow tunnels. The suricate (Suricata suricatta; Herpestidae), is a skilled scratch digger, with both semifossorial and cursorial habits. The results demonstrate that the m. cutaneus trunci of the pole- cat and either of the suricate can be divided in two portions, a dorsal main portion and an auxillary ventro-abdominal subportion. Dif- ferences occur in the insertion sites (insertion: brachium; pectoral.