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The evolution and co-occurrence of equids in Europe during the Upper Pleistocene (125–10 ka) is a research line that has generated much debate owing to the difficulties in distinguishing between species. Here, we present a study of the dental remains of equids, dated by radiocarbon at ~34.6 (~39.6 cal) ka BP, from Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars (Barcelona, NE Iberian Peninsula), a site where numerous remains of Equus hydruntinus and Equus ferus have been identified. Our observations indicate that combining measurements and morphological features, as opposed to their separate application, is useful for identifying Pleistocene equids at the species level. We identify seven morphological features to distinguish between the two species: four on the upper teeth – i) the shape of the protocone; ii) the presence/absence of a pli caballine; iii) the presence/absence of grooves in the styles; and, iv) the shape of the hypocone – and three on the lower dentition – v) the shape of the entoflexid; vi) the depth of the ectoflexid; and, vii) the presence/absence of the pticostylid fold. The identification of E. hydruntinus by dentition at the site reinforces evidence for the presence of these small equids during the Heinrich Stadial 4 in the Iberian Peninsula. The multi-proxy data (including phytoliths, charcoal, pollen, tooth wear, small and large mammals) obtained at Canyars suggest that E. hydruntinus of the NE Iberian Peninsula inhabited steppe-dominated landscapes with a Mediterranean component, indicating a less rigorous climate than that of more northern latitudes.

Recent research in northern Spain has revealed the disappearance of Neanderthal populations in the Vasco Cantabrian region a few millennia earlier than in eastern and southern Iberia and discovered a short period of overlap with modern humans, at least, in terms of radiocarbon dates. However, the causes of Neanderthal decline understood as a regional and temporal process remain open. Despite the abundance of technological studies, modern?quality chronological dating, and the availability of archaeofaunal and palaeoenvironmental data, there is a lack of consensus about how climatic and environmental conditions could have affected ungulate prey and, therefore, Neanderthal subsistence strategies. In this paper, an analytical summary of the archaeofaunal and taphonomic data available for the Vasco?Cantabrian region, combined with the most recent chronological evidence, present general knowledge about animal biogeography and ecology during the Middle?Upper Palaeolithic transition, and provides an interpretation of the behaviour of both human species in the region. This work reviews the palaeomammal community of animals represented in the record as exploited by human groups in several caves and rock shelters and pointing to continuing lacunae in knowledge. Further research is needed to verify and potentially explain the apparent hominin population gap and the ultimate fate of the Neanderthals This research is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement No. 818299‐ SUBSILIENCE project (https://www.subsilience.eu) and the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (ABRUPT ‐ HAR2017‐84997‐P) to ABMA. ASR's PhD is supported within the SUBSILIENCE project. The authors would like to thank J. García Sanchez (Instituto de Arqueología‐ Merida, CSIC‐Junta de Extramadura) for technical assistance with catchment areas analysis and Figs. 1, 5 and 6. Special thanks to L. Agudo (EvoAdapta‐University of Cantabria) for her technical assistance and G. Terlato for comments on the final version of the manuscript. The authors wish to acknowledge L. Straus for editing the manuscript and for his suggestions to improve this manuscript, as kind and effective as always.