[FR] Trois crânes de Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica de l’Holocène trouvés dans différents avens karstiques des Pyrénées centre-occidentales sont décrits. Deux des sites se situent à la plus haute altitude connue pour des restes fossiles de Capra dans les Pyrénées, ce qui est intéressant pour documenter la chronologie de la déglaciation holocène. Les crânes des mâles sont extrêmement grands par rapport aux autres restes de Capra du Pléistocène supérieur trouvés au Sud-Ouest de l’Europe. Un accroissement de la disponibilité des ressources alimentaires pendantl’Holocène, plutôt qu’une influence directe du réchauffement climatique (règle de Bergmann), fut probablement la cause de la grande taille des crânes. L’étude comparative de la section des cornes des crânes pyrénéens (C. p. pyrenaica) et de celles d’autres taxons voisinsmontre une similitudemorphologique entre ces premiers et C. i. ibex

[EN] Three Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica skulls from the Holocene found in different karstic sinkholes in the mid-western Pyrénées are described. Two of the locations were at the highest elevations known for Capra fossils in the Pyrénées, which provides insights into the timing of the Holocene deglaciation. The skulls of the males were particularly large relative to those of other Capra from the Upper Pleistocene found in southwestern Europe. An increase in the availability of food, rather than a direct influence of global warming, during the Holocene (Bergmann’s Rule) was likely responsible for the large size of the skulls. Comparisons between the horn sections of the Pyrenean skulls and those of neighbouring taxa show a morphological similarity between the former and C. i. ibex.

I express my sincere thanks to the Estella/Lizarra and Pedraforca Speleological Groups for collecting the material evaluated in this paper, and A. Senosiain who facilitated the loan of some of the material. I am grateful to A. Fernández-Arias, L. Marquina and E. Villagrasa from Ordesa National Park, J.P. Crampe and J.P. Besson from Parc National des Pyrénées (France), and V. Baldellou, Director of the Provincial Museum of Huesca (Aragón) for the facilities provided for comparative studies. L. Montes (Zaragoza University) provided materials from Gabasa Cave (Huesca). J.L. Sanz assisted with image processing. Comments by M. Esteban, F. Bibi, and F. Fack improved greatly the original manuscript. The Autonomous Government of Aragon partially funded this research.

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Peer reviewed