New remains of Pleistocene Ovibos moschatus from Germany and its geographic and stratigraphic occurrence in Europe

All remains of Pleistocene muskoxen from central and western Europe are att ributable to a single species, Ovibos moschatus. Its occurrence was restric ted mainly to the area north of the Pyrenees and Alps, covering lowlands an d mountain areas up to 1600 m. In the Middle Pleistocene, Ovibos occurred i n a cold phase, well before the Elsterian, and again during the Saalian and Weichselian. In the Late Pleistocene, Ovibos co-occurred with other faunal elements indicative of severe continental climatic conditions during the e arly and late Weichselian. During the middle Weichselian, the genus seems t o have retreated. A list of European localities that have yielded Ovibos mo schatus, inclusive of geographical references, is provided.