Small Vertebrates from Pleistocene Deposits of the South Chamber of Denisova Cave

The dynamics of the ecological composition of small vertebrate communities near Denisova Cave in the second half of the Middle–Upper Pleistocene is assessed, based on a representative fossil collection including more than 30 000 bone remains. We reconstructed cold climate epochs that probably correspond to the beginning of the Samarovo (MIS 8), Taz (MIS 6) and Ermakovo (MIS 4) cooling periods in the climatostratigraphic scheme of the Pleistocene of Western Siberia. Relatively warm epochs probably correspond to the end of the Tobolsk (MIS 9), Shirta (MIS 7) and Kazantsevo (MIS 5) interglacials, as well as the Karga interstadial (MIS 3). Analysis of different ecological groups of small vertebrates allowed us to establish local ecological features directly characteristic of the cave vicinity in each epoch.