Between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago, the landscape of Gibraltar and the Doñana National Park was not very different from the one we observe today, according to a study by the University of Huelva in which the species of plants and animals that inhabited have been identified. in a series of caves in the area.
During prehistory, many areas of the southwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula that today are below sea level were part of a belt that reached up to the Himalayas. During the abrupt climatic changes that occurred during the ice ages, these areas constituted a refuge for plants and animals and, according to the new study, many of these species still survive in our time.
The authors of the work, which is published in the journal Geomorphology , have reconstructed this prehistoric scene from the geological record of Gorham's Cave and the submerged platform around Gibraltar, which bears a strong resemblance to the relict sandy habitat that we can find. in some areas of the south of the Iberian Peninsula. In them there are numerous fossils and pollen remains from the marine isotopic period MIS 3 , which corresponds to the last ice age. These caves were also inhabited by Neanderthals, and remains of Mousterian tools have been found in them.
Thanks to this research, scientists will have more information about the flora and fauna of the past, as well as the adaptation of species to sudden climatic changes.
