Shared foraging behaviors between hyenas and hominins in the Middle Paleolithic Levant: New evidence from Geula Cave, Israel

While competition with large carnivores is likely to have shaped Middle Paleolithic hominins' subsistence behavior, palimpsested human and carnivore accumulations render the signal challenging to isolate. This study presents a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of a non-anthropogenic faunal assemblage from a MIS 5 (~130–80 ka) hyena den and porcupine lair at Geula Cave (Mount Carmel, Israel). The assemblage features abundant hyena and porcupine remains, pervasive gnawing, and negligible anthropogenic impact, which we draw on to assess human–carnivore interaction (or resource use). The ungulate assemblage is diverse and similar to that of contemporaneous anthropogenic assemblages, implying significant hunting-niche overlap. We propose that high ungulate diversity during MIS 5, possibly driven by interglacial corridor connectivity between Africa and the Levant, reduced competitive pressure and facilitated coexistence. Using hyena prey as an ecological baseline reveals how apparent “human choices” may reflect shared constraints within a competitive predator guild.