The Cooccurrence of Hypolagus and Lepus (Leporidae, Lagomorpha) in the Early Pleistocene of Crimea

Аннотация

New fossil leporid materials from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Taurida Cave in the central Crimea (Zuya village, Belogorsk district) are referred to Hypolagus brachygnathus (Kormos, 1930) and Lepus sp. The cooccurrence of Hypolagus and Lepus in the Early Pleistocene of Crimea is significant in terms of the question of the first appearance of Lepus in Europe, as well as the hypothesis of the competition with hares as one of the possible causes of extinction of Hypolagus.