Late Pleistocene Herpetofauna from Oblazova Cave (Polish Carpathians): Additional Collection

In the locality of Oblazowa Cave (Polish Carpathians), in addition to the remains of ancient man, mammals, birds, and mollusks, the remains of cold-blooded terrestrial vertebrates have been found. The absolute age of the remains is approximately 33 000 years. This corresponds to the absolute dating of layer VIII of the cave accumulations. We have identified the following species of amphibians and reptiles: Lissotriton vulgaris, Lissotriton montandoni, Ichthyosaura alpestris, Triturus cristatus, Salamandra salamandra, Bufo bufo, Bufotes viridis, Rana arvalis, Rana temporaria, Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara, Natrix natrix, Vipera berus, and Vipera ursinii s.l. During the accumulation of sediments, a mixed or deciduous forest existed in the surrounding area. The number of open spaces and glades in it varied slightly, but the type of forest vegetation did not change significantly. The climatic environment was close to the present-day one in the zone of mixed and deciduous forests. The systematic composition of herpetofauna in the studied samples differs from that of amphibians and reptiles, which was determined by two European experts from their collections.