Imanay Cave (Pleistocene Layer 4)
Basic information
Sample name: Imanay Cave (Pleistocene Layer 4)

Reference: D. Gimranov and P. Kosintsev. 2020. Quaternary large mammals from the Imanay Cave. Quaternary International 546:125-134 [ER 3799]
Geography
Country: Russia


Coordinate: 53° 2' N, 56° 26' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Geography comments: "The Imanay Cave is located in a mountainous region in the Southern Urals".
Although there are several radiocarbon dates on cave bear and cave lion remains (all from Layer 1; 46 to 26 ka), the entire faunal complex likely accumulated over the entire Late Pleistocene.

Environment
Lithology: sandstone

Taphonomic context: cave

Habitat comments: "The Imanay Cave was formed in grey dolomite limestone of the Kungurian stage of the Lower Permian. In total, four lithological layers were detected during the excavation. Accumulation of the bones was not related to human or other large terrestrial carnivore activity, thus it emerged as a result of natural mortality of the animals".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 3859 specimens

Sampling comments: "A 6 m2 excavation unit was placed in the inner part of the cave. More than 10,000 animal bone specimens were excavated from the 12 m3 deposits. The deposits were excavated in 10 cm horizons. All sediments were rinsed in water and sieved using 0.5 and 1.0 mm mesh".

Metadata
Sample number: 4148

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-28 15:09:47

Modified: 2023-02-28 04:09:47

Abundance distribution
16 species
5 singletons
total count 3859
geometric series index: 31.6
Fisher's α: 2.133
geometric series k: 0.5778
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.0587
Shannon's H: 0.1889
Good's u: 0.9987
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Castor fiber2
Panthera sp.57
"ex gr. fossilis-spelaea"
Cuon sp.2
Canis lupus1143 kg carnivore
also 1 Canis sp.
Vulpes vulpes15.3 kg carnivore-insectivore
also 14 Vulpes sp.
Meles sp.2
Gulo gulo213 kg
Mustela erminea1121 g
Mustela sp.1
"ex gr. putorius-eversmanii"
Ursus sp.3743
extinct "small cave bear" species originally described as Ursus “savini”
Ursus arctos9156 kg frugivore-carnivore
Ursus thibetanus263 kg browser-frugivore
Mammuthus primigenius1
Equus ferus1422 kg
Saiga tatarica1328 kg
Ovis ammon1176 kg browser-grazer