Excavations at the Early Pleistocene vertebrate site of Untermassfeld
took place over a total of 127 months, resulting in the recovery of an
abundance of over 18,000 identifiable palaeontological finds. Led by
R.-D. Kahlke, this incredible collection has been preserved and
evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of scientists. Part 5 of the
Untermassfeld monograph completes the series of descriptions and studies
of the extensive finds from the site, including those of a bison bone
pathology, new discoveries on fossils of wild boars, elephants, bears,
giant hyaenas and the modifications they left on the bone material, on a
large amount of unique felid finds, as well as on those of micromammals
and monkeys. A synopsis incorporating a detailed account of the site
origin, palaeobiodiversity, taphonomic characteristics, the
reconstructed palaeoenvironment, chronostratigraphy, and the site's
significance in western Palaearctic faunal history collates all the
results obtained during the individual research projects. The addition
of the complete excavation plans of Untermassfeld's extraordinarily rich
fossil record adds the final touches to this five-volume monograph.