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Archaeofaunal assemblages from southwest Portugal reveal evidence of Upper Palaeolithic resource intensification. Faunal remains recovered from the coastal Upper Palaeolithic site of Vale Boi demonstrate that humans were exploiting rabbits and intensively processing ungulate carcasses by the early Gravettian. Taphonomy of the rabbit assemblage shows no evidence of density-mediated attrition or of specific signatures left by non-human predators. Additionally, the placement of rabbit remains alongside faunal remains clearly deposited by humans, strongly suggests that the leporid assemblage was accumulated by humans. Examination of red deer and horse remains reveals a high percentage of impact damage from stone tools and that nearly all major elements were opened for marrow. Further analysis of medium ungulate long bone epiphyses suggests that humans were preferentially targeting long bone ends containing high yields of bone-grease. Co-occurrence of fire-cracked rock, stone anvils and hammerstones corroborates the suggestion that humans were intensively processing ungulate carcasses. This early coupling of rabbit exploitation with bone grease rendering is distinctive in that it occurs relatively early in the European Upper Palaeolithic.