Caves in South China yield abundant and well-preserved vertebrate fossils, which provide a significant foundation for the study of Quaternary biostratigraphy, species evolution, and palaeoecology. These fossils offer crucial insights into the exploration of human evolution and activities. However, the origin, burial processes, and characteristics of cave fossils in South China have not been sufficiently explored. This insufficiency impedes a comprehensive understanding of the taphonomic processes of fauna assemblages across different temporal periods in the region.

This study presents a detailed analysis of the burial characteristics of nearly 1,000 fossil mammalian teeth and fragmented bones unearthed from the Early Pleistocene Chuifeng Cave site (ca. 1.9 MaBP) in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi. The age-at-death was determined by the degree of tooth abrasion of the dominant populations, and the causes of death were analyzed based on the mortality patterns of the species.

The mortality profile of rhinos shows an attritional pattern, with fewer sub-adults. This is likely the result of both natural mortality and predation. In addition, the mortality profiles of cervids and suids exhibit a prime-dominated structure, which is usually associated with human hunting. However, since no human fossils have been found at the Chuifeng Cave site and no remains of human activities from this period have been found in the Bubing Basin, it is possible that the mortality profiles of these species are the result of a combination of factors.

The gnawing marks on the surface of the fossils suggest that the death of the dominant population could have been due to predation or natural death. The gnawing marks could have been caused either by a predator’s (e.g., hyena) consumption or handling or by porcupines collecting bones. The varying degrees of rounding and weathering marks on the surface of the fossils indicate that the accumulation of faunal bones was not a one-off burial following a disaster. This further demonstrates that the phenomenon may have been a relatively slow burial process resulting from natural death or predation by carnivores.

The present case-study of the taphonomy of Chuifeng Cave provides an important reference for re-conceptualizing the origin and accumulation process of fossils from caves in South China. Admittedly, there are numerous fossil-producing caves in South China, with diverse accumulation conditions and complex causes. Further in-depth studies are needed to comprehensively reveal the burial characteristics of South China’s caves and to lay an important foundation for paleoanthropological research.