Y. Lignereux et al., DENTAL AND LOCOMOTOR PATHOLOGY OF GAME RU MINANTS IN THE GROTTE DE LAVACHE (UPPER PALEOLITHIC, ARIEGE, FRANCE), Revue de Medecine Veterinaire, 146(12), 1995, pp. 829-846
The <<Grotte de la Vache>> (Late Glacial, Ariege, France) gave 139753
animal osteological remains, of which 81358 from Ruminants [in order o
f numerical importance : Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica), Reindeer (Ra
ngifei tarandus), Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), Red deer (Ce
rvus elaphus) and Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)]. 120 rests of ibex,
reindeer and red deer are injured (6 dental et 114 bony lesions). The
game showed a traumatic or overloading locomotor pathology due to the
environment (hard and irregular soils) and to the weight of animals (P
yrenean ibex, red deer, reindeer) : fracture, osteoarthritis, arthrosi
s, chronical ossifying periarthritis, periostitis and tenosynovitis, d
eforming chronical arthritis. Articular diseases of the limbs obey to
a double gradient, caudo-cranial (68% of lesions in the thoracic limb,
32% in the pelvic limb), and proximodistal (16% above carpus or tarsu
s, 84% in digits) : this corresponds to present clinics in domestic an
imals. The predatory strategy of the paleolithic hunters is not well k
nown : they selected victims according to their needs and means and di
d not neglect easy preys which became occasionally available by some l
ocomotor troubles.