Abstract:

The Hualongdong Hominid Site is an important locality for ancient human fossils in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, where several well-preserved ancient human fossils and many mammal fossils have been discovered. This paper systematically studies the Carnivora fossils excavated from Hualong Cave from 2014 to 2024, including 8 families, 14 genera, and 17 species, including Cuon alpinus, Ursus thibetanus, Ursus arctos, Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi, Arctonyx cf. collaris, Catopuma teilhardi, Prionailurus kurteni, Prionailurus sp., Panthera tigris, Panthera pardus, Neofelis nebulosa, Prionodon hualongensis sp. nov., Pachycrocuta brevirostris sinensis, Crocuta ultima, Viverra zibetha, Paguma larvata, Urva urva. Felidae are the most diverse family, with six species coexisted, ranging from about 1kg P. kurteni to around 200 kg P. tigris. Ursidae are also diversified, with three species, and two of them, U. thibetanus and A. m. baconi are the two abundant carnivore species in the fauna. Among these species, the newly identified species of linsang (Prionodon hualongensis) is the first fossil species discovered from the genus Prionodon, characteristic by having large body size, robust dentition and mandible, wide m1 protocone and m1 talonid, indicating a diet comprising more hard tissue. The presence of the abundant spotted hyena, indicating that the site is older than Zhoukoudian Loc.1 (very rare and only present in the upmost layer). On the other hand, the morphology of the brown bear and the golden cat is similar to those from the Zhoukoudian Loc.1, and the morphology of the dhole (relatively distinct m1 entoconid) and the hog-nosed badger (relatively large m1 paraconid) appears slightly more primitive than that of modern population. The archaic element giant hyena Pachycrocuta is still present in the locality, and there are also several extinct species, including the Hualong linsang and the Kurten's leopard cat. In summary, the composition and evolutionary level of carnivore guild from the Hualongdong site supports a late Middle Pleistocene age, which aligns with the results of previous dating. The Hualongdong carnivore guild mainly composes of species typical of woodland areas (no specific temperature preference), such as the dhole and the Asian black bear, followed by typical southern China components like the giant panda and the clouded leopard. However, there are also typical North China components, notably the brown bear, indicating a mosaic habitat primarily dominated by forests.

Key words: Late Middle Pleistocene, Anhui, southern China, ancient human, mammal fossil