New Data on the Holocene Mammal Fauna of the Ustyurt Plateau.

Analysis of mammalian species composition has been performed for eight archaeological sites on the Ustyurt plateau. They date to the range from the middle Subboreal to the middle Subatlantic. The modern species composition of large mammals formed by the end of the Middle Holocene (Subboreal 2) and did not change until the early 20th century. The ungulate species composition and ratio on the plateau showed geographical variation and changed over time. Boars were always rare or absent in the north of Ustyurt. The structure of the ungulate fauna in the north of Ustyurt changed over time. Onager numbers in this area increased and saiga numbers decreased in the middle of the Late Holocene. Significant geographical differences in the structure of ungulate fauna were recorded in the middle of the Late Holocene. The numbers of onagers, goitered gazelles, and argali were higher, whereas the numbers of saigas were lower in the south of Ustyurt than in the north.

New data on avifauna of the Ustyurt plateau in the Holocene.

Bone remains of birds from a location of the middle Subboreal period and from three locations of the early Subatlantic period were studied on the Ustyurt plateau (Kazakhstan). Three out of 17 avian species that have been identified (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, Falco peregrinus, and Nyctea scandiaca) proved to be absent in the modern fauna of the region. Our data on the bird fauna of the Ustyurt Plateau in the second half of the Middle Holocene and at the beginning of the Late Holocene indicate that, in that time, the migration routes of the little cormorant, peregrine, and snowy owl passed across the Ustyurt territory and the wintering sites of peregrine and snowy owl were more extensive and were also situated in Ustyurt. In the second half of the Late Holocene, the number of wintering sites of these species diminished and their migration routes have been altered.