우리나라 선사시대 소과(Bovidae) 화석에 대한 고찰

During the Quaternary, the paleoenvironment of Korean Peninsular has been changed several times. The fauna discovered in the prehistoric sites, especially the Bovidae fossil permit to estimate the climatic conditions of the prehistoric Korea. Four species of Bovidae family have been present and its faunal composition has been changed through the Quaternary in Korea. Based on the these fossils, we may notice as follows: 1) Bos primigenius had been present whole the Pleistocene and it has been changed to Bos taurus in Holocene. 2) Bison priscus had been dominant during the Upper Pleistocene but it had been extinct in Holocene. 3) Bubalus sp. had been widely spread in Korea, especially in the North-western part of Korea during the middle Pleistocene and it was disappeared then after. But this animal has been reappeared during the early Holocene period. 4) Bos Taurus was the dominant Bovidae species during the Holocene and it would be related with human activities such as domestication and cultivation. From the changes of Bovidae in Korean peninsular, we may interpret that the climatic condition of the middle Pleistocene of our country would be relatively warm and it became colder during the upper Pleistocene. And it became warm during the early Holocene and it changed to a temperate climate as today.