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Zooarchaeological and palaeontological assemblages, especially those located in karst cavities, are usually the product of the activity of several taphonomic biological agents. This is also the case of the Upper Pleistocene site of Cova del Coll Verdaguer (Barcelona, Iberian Peninsula), where hyenas accumulated most of the ungulates, bears used the cave to hibernate and for birthing cubs, and humans occasionally visited the cave. The main aim of this study is to investigate the role played by medium-sized mammalian carnivores in the formation of Unit 3 (the Sala Sal de Llop chamber). For this purpose, we analysed Lynx pardinus and Vulpes vulpes remains, on the one hand, and leporid remains, on the other, applying different taphonomic (breakage and surface modifications) zooarchaeological (skeletal parts frequencies, age at death) and spatial methods (GIS, geostatistics, refits). Regarding medium-sized carnivores, the results indicate a predominance of adult individuals, a fairly complete anatomical representation (especially in the case of the lynx), the refitting of several elements (in the case of the lynx, many of them clustered in the same area), and the presence of tooth marks on some remains. This data points to the natural death of these animals inside the cave, and suggests they were subsequently scavenged by other carnivores. With respect to leporids, adult individuals predominate, the most abundant elements are innominate bones and those from the distal segment of the appendicular skeleton, and there is evidence of carnivore damage on several remains. In accordance with these results, the leporid assemblage is interpreted mainly as a non-ingested assemblage caused by the feeding activity of the Iberian lynx and, to a lesser extent, the red fox. Thus, the combination of all these analyses indicates that the medium-sized terrestrial carnivores did not play a merely passive role, but were also accumulators and modifying agents, at least in terms of the leporid remains. Although ungulates are not the focus of this study, we have also discussed the potential role of Iberian lynx and red fox in accumulating and modifying them. This work adds to previously published studies indicating that Cova del Coll Verdaguer is the product of mixed occupations of different carnivore taxa, suggesting that lynxes and foxes used the cave as a safe place to rest, transport their prey and consume it. Therefore, this study will shed more light on the relationships between human groups and different carnivore taxa at Cova del Coll Verdaguer and, by extension, in the European Upper Pleistocene, demonstrating that the study of fossil collections can contribute significantly towards extending our knowledge on past carnivore and human behaviour. • Zooarchaeological, taphonomic, and spatial analysis of lynxes, foxes, and leporids. • The leporids are related to the feeding behaviours of the Iberian lynx and red fox. • Iberian lynx and red fox used the cave as a shelter, and not as a birthing den. • Neanderthals, large and medium carnivores are actively involved in site formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesolithic faunal assemblage from Cueva de Los Postes (Badajoz, Spain) is presented and discussed. The faunal remains from different stratigraphic units spatially associated with the Mesolithic funerary use of the cave or preceded them were analyzed. The zooarchaeological record is dominated by leporids, generally rabbit but also hare, scarce mustelids, and undetermined birds. Results indicate that these animals are not associated with the human use of the cave. The relevance of carnivore damage points to an exogenous origin for leporid accumulation. It is inferred that this mixed deposit of scats and non‐ingested remains results from foxes' activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The study of European rabbit immunoglobulin genes has contributed decisively to the current knowledge on antibody structure and diversification. The European rabbit has also been increasingly used as an animal model for the study of many human diseases, such as syphilis, tuberculosis, and AIDS. As such, the study of its immune system genes is of crucial relevance, but the study of rabbit immunoglobulins has focused only on the IgG and IgA antibodies. In this study, we added to the knowledge of the rabbit immune system by investigating the genetic diversity of two antibodies, IgM and IgE, in wild and domestic rabbits as well as other rabbit close species. With the data obtained in this study, we showed a high similarity between the different rabbit close species studied and we pointed out important genetic differences in the wild and domestic rabbits. Our findings are a valuable tool for the management of rabbit wild populations and domestic breeds and may contribute to the identification of immunoglobulins genetic variants with greater efficiency against pathogens. The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been an important model for immunological studies but the study of its immunoglobulins (Ig) has been restricted to its unique IgA and IgG. Here, we studied the genetic diversity of IgM and IgE in several species of leporids and performed population genetics studies on European rabbit wild populations and domestic breeds. The leporids sequencing showed that these Ig are well conserved (98% sequence similarity among leporids), For IgM the Cµ1 and Cµ4 were the most diverse and most conserved domains, respectively, while for IgE the Cε1 was the most diverse domain and Cε2 and Cε3 the most conserved domains. The differences in the pattern of most conserved and most diverse domain between the Ig isotypes are most likely related to each isotype function. The genetic population data showed contrasting results for IgM and IgE. For both Ig, as expected, a greater diversity was observed in the original species range, the Iberian Peninsula. However, unexpectedly the genetic diversity found for IgE in the domestic animals is higher than that for the French wild populations. These results will increase knowledge of the genetic diversity of leporids and wild and domestic rabbit populations and are important tools for the management of wild populations and rabbitries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]