Hyena Dens

Many of the bones found in the caves were fragmented and showed signs of having been gnawed. The two limb bone fragments seen here both show gnaw marks.

Coprolites were also found in the caves. A coprolite is the fossilised droppings of an animal.
The coprolites found in many caves matched the droppings of the Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta).

The conclusion reached is that the caves were being used as hyena dens. The hyenas would make a kill then drag the body back to the caves to eat.

Hyenas need to gnaw on bones and this gnawing leaves a distinctive set of marking which matched those on the bones.

This is the jawbone of a Cave Hyena, an extinct sub-species of the Spotted Hyena.