Abstract: The Wazhuozui site is located in the second terrace of Guantian village, Gaojia town of Fengdu county in Chongqing. The geomorphic feature is the second terrace on the right bank of the Yangtze River. The geographical coordinates are 30°01′56.7″N, 107°51′51.7″E, altitude 167m. It is a mid-Paleolithic site about 70-80 ka BP. This site is closely linked to the Jingshuiwan site found nearby. This shows that the secondary terrace of the Three Gorges area has remains of dense ancient human activities. The site produces 7 families, 10 genera and 11 species of small mammal fossils: Soriculus nigrescens, Chodsigoa smithii, Anourosorex squamipes, Crocidura suaveolens, Rhinolophus pearsoni, Hipposideros armiger, Rattus norvegicus, Rattus flavipectus, Trogopterus xanthipes, Rhizomys pruinosus, Nesolagus sinensis. The habitat and distribution of small mammals reflect the wide range of resources involved in the economic production of ancient humans, and have a strong adaptability to mountainous environment of significant elevational differences. Local environment of the site is the valley area of low-altitude tropical monsoon climate. However, in the surrounding mountain area of the site, there are subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, temperate coniferous forest and coniferous vegetation belt. There are more insectivorous species but with the smallest number of individuals. The discovery of the Chinese Sumatran rabbit (Nesolagus sinensis), provided evidence for the existence of tropical monsoon climate zone in the Three Gorges area in the early Late Pleistocene.

Key words: Small mammal; Zooarchaeology; Wazhuozui site; Middle Paleolithic period; Three Gorges area