Extinct steppe-tundra fauna from Cuvier 1 and 2 cave at Fouvent-le-Bas (Haute-Saône, eastern France) : the artist reconstruction

Studies of the fauna from the Cave « Cuvier 1 » and the various levels of the cave « Cuvier 2 » at Fouvent-le-Bas have encouraged artists and scientists to reconstruct the extinct fauna of large mammals, carnivores and microfauna that used these sites. In each cave, the fauna represents those typical of the steppe-tundra in which the woolly mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros, the steppe horse and the cave hyena predominated. The artistic reconstructions are faithful to the results issued by researchers (taxa, size, weight, ethology of the animals) which, when placed in a past environment, help us to appreciate the coexistence and competition of the mammalian species (mainly of predator-prey dynamics) as well as the relations and interactions between Humans and fauna who shared the same territories and ecosystems. Fauna from the Cuvier 2 cave at Fouvent-le-Bas (1989-1992 and current excavations since 2021) has yielded a large number of carnivores remains, of which the cave hyena is the main representative. When all levels are combined, up to 92 hyenas were counted. The bone and dental remains of the cave hyena showed that all age classes are present in the main gallery and its diverticula (from the youngest cubs up to the oldest animals), in association with their main preys, woolly rhinoceros and horse. Even though Cuvier Cave 2 was originally considered a hyena den, the numerous dental remains belonging to juveniles also support the hypothesis of a nursery. The artist has illustrated the world of the cave hyena: a primary hunter and occasional scavenger because hyenas used both strategies for their survival of their clans in the steppe-tundra environment of the vast Vannon plain. This plain abounded in large mammals and its limestone relief provided a favourable context for both natural traps and dens as well.