PALAEONTOLOGY

Kraków Spadzista Street (B) contains a large accumulation of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) remains and only a few isolated bones or teeth of other taxa (Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus caballus, Rangifer tarandus, Ursus sp., Canis lupus, Alopex lagopus) were also found. At the site 5860 bones and teeth were identifiable out of about 9000 recovered remains.

Species	NISP	MNI
Carnivora
Canis lupus (wolf)	4	1
Alopex lagopus (polar fox)	3	2
Ursus sp.	2	1
Perissodactyla
Equus caballus (horse)	1	1
Coelodonta antiquitatis (woolly rhinoceros)	1	1
Proboscidea
Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth)	5845	71
Artiodactyla
Rangifer tarandus (reindeer)	4	1
TOTAL	5860	78

Nearly all (>99%) of identifiable bones belong to mammoth and all skeletal elements of this animal are represented (see TABLE). The site yielded a large number of ribs and vertebrae (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum bone and caudal). Numerous small bones such as sesamoids and phalanges were also represented. A remarkable feature of the site is the presence of very small mammoth bones (two humeri and three femora) that probably belong to mammoth foetuses. The presence of hyoid bones or milk teeth of woolly mammoth at Kraków Spadzista (B) should also be pointed out. During the excavation in 2000, one mammoth milk tusk was recovered; this tooth is the first of its kind found in Poland.

Mammoth milk tusk and first milk molar

Unfortunately no large fragments of mammoth skull are represented in this bone assemblage. However, about 400 small fragments (about 10-20 cm in diameter) of skull were found. Besides a large number of postcranial skeletal elements, 338 of upper and lower cheek teeth of woolly mammoth are in this assemblage. Some teeth are still placed in alveolus of maxillae and mandibles. As a result of excavations undertaken during 1970s, a MINIMUM NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS (MNI) for mammoth based on the mandibles and lower teeth was estimated at 60. During the 1990s, excavations at this site were continued and subsequently the MNI has now been revised to 71 based on mandibles and lower cheek teeth. The eruption sequence and wear of the lower teeth were used to reconstruct the age distribution of the site's mammoths. The mammoth age profile from Kraków Spadzista Street (B) is characteristic for a stable population. The largest number of individuals is represented in the 0-12 years age class (30 individuals, 42 % of total MNI), with the other age categories represented in decreasing proportions.

Age profile of Kraków Spadzista Street (B) mammoth population. (AEY = African Elephants Year. MNI = 71))

This age profile could reflect time-averaged (but non-selective) natural deaths or abrupt, non-selective kills affecting whole herds.