Late Pleistocene megafauna from the south of Western and Central Siberia: new data on radiocarbon dating and new finds from alluvial sites in 2020

This article presents 135 radiocarbon dates from bone remains of large mammals of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene from the south of Western and Central Siberia, including 41 new dates received in 2020. Primarily, bones of predators and rare species of ungulates, including small cave bear (Ursus savini), cave hyena (C. crocuta spelaea), cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea), Ovodov's horse (Equus ovodovi), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), aurochs (Bos primigenius), Baikal yak (Poephagus mutus baicalensis), and saiga (Saiga tatarica borealis) were dated. The 14C date (20,200 BP) was obtained for the first time for a bone of Transbaikalian parabubal (Parabubalis capricornis). The bones of woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and bison (Bison priscus) from the Orda and Chick Rivers were dated to the Late Sartan period. The remains of bison from the Northern Angara region were dated to the Early Holocene (9,600 and 10,700 BP). Over a thousand bones from 18 species of Pleistocene megafauna were collected at the Chumysh River in 2020, including two unique finds - a wolverine skull (G. gulo) and fragment of musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) shoulder blade. Out of 76 dated bones from the Chumysh bank, 81 % belonged to the Kargin period, 12 % to the Sartan period, and 7 % to the Holocene. The collection of megafaunal remains from the Chik River and Bibikha locality on the Ob River was substantially enriched (by 620 and 237 specimens). Fourty two bones from the Chik River were dated to the Kargin period (67 %), Sartan period (19 %), and Holocene (14 %). Most of bone remains from Bibikha belonged to the Middle Pleistocene, and a smaller part to the Early and Late Pleistocene. In total, the number of the collected or known bones of megafauna at all three locations amounted to (bones / species) 15795/27from the Chumysh River, 3456/118from the Chick River, and 5708/19from Bibikha.