Orce Archaeopalaeontological Sites

The palaeontological sites of Venta Micena, Barranco León and Fuente Nueva are a source of valuable fossils for the Museum of Prehistory and Palaeontology - "Jose Gibert" First Settlers of Europe Interpretation Centre.

 

Specifically, a famous skull fragment was discovered at the Venta Micena site, and this led to the name of "Orce Man". The most characteristic feature of this site, one of the best known in the palaeontological literature of the Eurasian Early Pleistocene, is its large accumulation of bones, as it was the lair of the amazing hyenas that roamed the area in those days. 

More than 2,500 fossils were extracted from here, belonging to all kinds of animals: elephants, hippos, rhinos, horses, water buffalo, bears, two species of sabre-toothed cats, hyenas, wolves, badgers, lynxes, foxes, frogs, lizards, and some birds, to name but a few.