The new sites of mammoth fauna in the Chulym River head, the Khakass Republic

In this article two new sites of mammoth fauna are described; these sites are located on the territory of Ordzhonikidze district of the Khakass Republic, near the village Kozhukhovo. These sites refer to deposits of the first floodplain terraces in the estuaries of the Black Iyus river: the Kozhukhovo I site (lat. 54 56' N, long. 89 46' E), and the White Iyus River: the Kozhukhovo II site (lat. 54 54' N, long. 89 52' E). The headwaters of the Chulym River is formed by the confluence of these rivers. This article contains a description of the geological structure of one of the sites, where deposits of the first floodplain terraces consist of loess loam and channel alluvium. Also a description of osteological remains discovered in these sites is given. Its geologic age was found to be the second half of the Late Pleistocene by lithology, geomorphology and paleontology data. The materials obtained introduce typical representatives of the mammoth fauna assemblage from the both sites. The materials are mainly represented by fragments of the largest and most dense bones, as in most alluvial sites. On the basis of osteological remains, the fauna composition of these sites was found, the mammals are represented by the following species: Spermophilus undulatus, Alces cf. alces, Rangifer tarandus, Ovis ammon, Bison priscus, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus ex gr. ovodovi, Equus ex gr. hydruntinus, Equus gallicus and Equus sp. In the late Pleistocene, usual representatives of mammoth fauna inhabited the Chulym River head, though they were slightly smaller than animals that lived in the Western Siberia, and on the banks of the Yenisei River at the same time. It was revealed by a comparison of the osteological material with the literature data. Based on the characteristics of the species, the composition of these sites was similar to the sites located in the upstream of the White Iyus River (Malaya Syia, Proskuryakova Grotto, Archaeological Cave). A new species of horses (Equus (Sussemionus) ovodovi) was identified in the same manner. To the authors' knowledge, this species has not been carefully studied yet, so the further study of these sites can help in getting new information on this species as well as on the ontogeny of these horses. On basis of preliminary analysis the authors conclude that in the late Pleistocene in the Chulym River head, forest-steppe landscapes of hilly type predominated, which is proved by the remains of the gopher, the donkey, the Gallic horse, the Ovodov horse, a small form of the woolly rhinoceros and the reindeer with specific features in the structure. This area could have been summer pastures, which is proved by bones of young animals. However, the data is insufficient to carry out a comprehensive analysis, so further study is essential.

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