Filippov A.G., Erbaeva M.A., Kalmykov N.P., Ovodov N.D., Tiunov M.P., Khenzykhenova F.I., Shibanova I.V.
Speleology and spelestology 2021; (3): 17-35
The article analyzes the osteological remains of large and small mammals from the Tonta and Khurganskaya karst caves on Lake Baikal. The caves are located in the Kuchelgo-Talovskaya tectonic depression, separating the Primorsky ridge, covered with taiga vegetation, from the Priolkhon plateau, where mountain-forest-steppe landscapes dominate. Among the remains of large mammals, the bones of carnivores prevail (51.1-55.2 % of the total number of bones of large mammals), and the bones of ungulates (15.7-27.8 %) and domestic animals (20.0-20.5 %) are less common. Numerous human bones (8.6 %) and the largest accumulation of bones of 12 individuals of badgers on Lake Baikal were found in the Tonta cave. The remains of small mammals more accurately characterize the nearby ecotopes of the rocky steppe and riparian shrub-deciduous thickets. Among the remains of small mammals in the Tonta Cave, the bones of the ground squirrel (31.4 % of the total number of micromammal bones), the Microtus (18.6 %) and redbacked (18.6 %) voles are dominant. The bones of European water vole (8.6 %) and mountain vole Alticola (8.6 %), as well as lagomorphs (5.3 %) and dwarf hamsters (4.7 %), take a significant part.
