The Carnivores of Senèze (Haute-Loire)

The recently excavated carnivore fossils at Senèze are rather limited in number, in contrast with the material of earlier decades. A global review of the earlier material is presented. Twelve species are identified: four canids (Nyctereutes megamastoides[aut]Nyctereutes megamastoides, Vulpes alopecoides[aut]Vulpes alopecoides, Canis arnensis, Canis sp.), one ursid (Ursus etruscus), three hyaenids (Pachycrocuta[aut]Pachycrocutaperrieri perrieri, Chasmaporthetes lunensis, Hyaenidae indet.), and four felids (Acinonyx pardinensis, Megantereon cultridens[aut]Megantereoncultridens, Homotherium crenatidens and, for the first time, Dinofelis sp[aut]Dinofelis sp..). The large-scale excavation carried out by Faure, Guérin and Delson provided the first precise knowledge of the stratigraphy corresponding to the paleontological remains and paleoenvironmental data linked to the fauna. The carnivore taxa of Senèze range over a long time span, but they don’t indicate the existence of two chronologically distinct periods. Their study places Senèze in the second part of the middle VillafranchianMiddle Villafranchian, see Villafranchian, middle, around 2.1 Ma.