Aurignacian hunter-gatherer #3 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Over 36,000 years ago, the Chauvet Cave was not just the home of prehistoric humans, but also many species of animals – the number of animals actually outnumbered the number of people!
Cave Bear (2015-04-25/2015-04-25) by smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Not only were these animals a resource for food, weapons, ornaments, and clothing, but they were also an important spiritual part of the hunter-gatherer communities.
Wooly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Discover more about the following 6 species of extinct animals that you definitely won't find in the Chauvet Cave today...
Cave Lion (Panthera spelaea) #4 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The cave lion
At 2.5 meters long, these big cats were at the top of the food chain (along with humans). We know they inspired our ancestors as there are drawings in the Chauvet Cave of half-human, half-lion figures.
Aurignacian hunter-gatherer #3 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Although humans did not hunt cave lions, they used lion teeth to make ornaments, which were worn to show prestige within communities.
Cave Lion (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
What differentiates this species from the lions we know today is that cave lions had no mane. Sadly, you can no longer find them in the caves as this species disappeared 10,000 years ago at the end of the ice age.
Wool Mammouth (Mammuthus primigenius) #8 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The woolly mammoth
One of the most well known animals from our past, the woolly mammoth was the largest animal you could find in the Chauvet Cave.
Wool Mammouth (Mammuthus primigenius) #2 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
However, contrary to popular belief, the woolly mammoth was smaller than a present-day African elephant. An average male mammoth would reach a height of 2.6 meters – still pretty tall if you ask me!
Wool Mammouth (Mammuthus primigenius) #6 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Although they became extinct around 10,000 years ago, our ancestors would occasionally eat mammoth meat and use their bones to make tools, weapons, and ornaments. In Siberia, people would even use the bones to make huts covered with animal skin!
Whooly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) #2 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The woolly rhinoceros
Before the woolly rhinoceros became extinct, you would not have missed these animals wandering around the caves, as they could grow up to 2 meters tall and 3.6 meters long.
Wooly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
However, these animals were not hunted and were rarely represented in cave art...
Wooly Rhinoceros (Chauvet Cave) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
...except for in the Chauvet Cave, where there are 65 drawings of the woolly animals!
Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) (2019-05-21/2019-05-21)Grotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The cave bear
These cave bears share a lot of similarities to the bears we know today and a study found that the brown bear, polar bear, and the cave bear all had a common ancestor who lived 1.6 million years ago.
Pile of cave bear bones (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
From the many cave bear bones that have been found over the years, it is thought that our ancestors might have eaten bear meat and used their skin and teeth for ornaments. With all the bones in the Chauvet Cave, a scientific team were able to reconstruct the genetic profile of the bear too.
Cave Bear (2015-04-25/2015-04-25) by smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Although the cause is still unknown, the decline of the cave bear population began around 50,000 to 25,000 years ago and they no longer roam the Chauvet Cave today.
Megaceros (Megaloceros giganteus) #3 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Megaloceros
The Megaloceros (also known as a giant deer) were an animal you would not want to get on the wrong side of as their antlers reached up to 3 meters tall!
Megaceros (Megaloceros giganteus) #7 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Although they seemed to be some of the last prehistoric animals standing before the ice age, disappearing around 7,000 years ago, it is thought they were not as important to our ancestors as the woolly mammoths or cave lions.
Megaceros (Megaloceros giganteus) (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Megaloceros bones have been found all over the world, including on the Isle of Man in Great Britain, in southern Scotland, and at the bottom of the Ural mountains in Russia.
Steppe Bison (Bison priscus) #3 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Steppe bison
Although they look similar to the bisons still around today, this extinct species was larger (over 2 meters tall) and were commonly hunted by our ancestors.
Red steppe bison in the Altamira cave (Spain) (2003/2003) by J. ClottesGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Alongside the horse, the steppe bison was one of the most commonly drawn animals in cave art. As the bison moved in troops, the large fesco in the Chauvet Cave depicts a group of bison being chased by cave lions.
Steppe Bison (Bison priscus) #6 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Discover more about what lived in the Chauvet Cave 36,000 years ago.
