A revision of Gervais’ archaeozoological collection from the Middle and Late Paleolithic site of Tournal Cave, France

The old archaeozoological collection from the Tournal Cave (originally reported as Bize Cave) was donated to the National Museum of Natural History from Paris in 1869 by the French palaeontologist Paul Gervais. The small osteological collection contains the remains of reindeer (including the holotype of Capreolus tournalii) and horses. The detailed morphological and biometric study revealed a great similarity between the reindeer from the Tournal Cave and the ancient forest reindeer from the Palaeolithic site Duruitoarea Veche and layer 3 of Brânzeni-1 (Republic of Moldova). The conspicuously flattened antler confirms the assumption that the reindeer from Geivaisț collection is rather a forest form. The horse is characterized by moderately long protocone in the upper cheek teeth and the comparatively small anterior second phalanx, showing a certain resemblance to the horse from Botai (Kazakhstan). This similarity with the Holocene form of horse from Kazakhstan suggests a similar evolutionary response to rather dry and warm environmental conditions.