Late Pleistocene-holocene mammals from "Canale delle Acque alte (Canale Mussolini)" (Agro Pontino, Latium)

The classification of the fossil mammalian remains from the "Canale delle Acque Alte" collection is here revised. The stratigraphical provenance of the fossil material has now been reconstructed based on paleontological and sedimentological evidence derived from analyzes of the faunal assemblage and the sediment residue that specimens still preserve within bone cavities. Many species such as Hippopotamus amphibius, Dama dama dama, Megaloceros giganteus, Ursus spelaeus, Vulpes vulpes, Bos taurus longifrons and Capra hircus are recognized for the first time within the material sampled from this locality. The data obtained allowed assessment of the relative abundance of taxa based on calculation of the minimum number of individuals present. Hypotheses regarding the environmental conditions under which the fauna lived are also proposed based on the results and the ecology of the species identified. The fauna is attributed to a time interval between the end of the MIS 5a and MIS 3, while the specimens within the topmost level are Holocene in age.