Large mammal fauna of the West Siberian forest-tundra zone in the late Holocene

Abstract

Changes in the Late Holocene species composition and dynamics of number of large mammal fauna are described for the forest-tundra zone of the West Siberia. The review is based on 14C dated materials from cave and archeological sites. During the studied period the species composition of large mammals was nearly constant and similar to the modern one with azonal species dominating in the fauna. The faunal composition of the southern part of forest-tundra zone differed from the northern part by the presence of the beaver and otter. Minor changes in the faunal composition took place only in the northern part of this area at the end of the Subatlantic period and concerned changes in the northern boundary of the sable range. It was controlled by the shift of northern forest boundary and the increased human activities. People completely exterminated beavers and sables in the region by the mid 18th century. The mountain hare, polar fox, and reindeer had persistently high numbers during the Late Holocene in the forest-tundra zone. The numbers of other species were low. The modern mammal species composition of the forest-tundra zone was formed by the interplay of climatic change and commercial activity of people. How to cite this article: Bachura O.P., Kosintsev P.A. Lobanova T.V. 2019. Large mammal fauna of the West Siberian forest-tundra zone in the late Holocene // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.18. No.1. P.43–50. doi: 10.15298/ rusjtheriol.18.1.05.