Carnivoran-dominated fossil sites are scarce in the fossil record but provide precious information on the diversity and ecology of past carnivoran guilds. The Cerro de los Batallones sites host the oldest carnivoran-dominated assemblages, with the highest carnivoran abundances observed in the fossil record. Batallones-3 (Late Miocene, Madrid Basin, Spain) hosts three discrete, carnivoran-dominated fossiliferous levels deposited in a 15m-diameter, 4m-high pseudokarstic cavity with 1m-high talus cone located beneath the mouth of the cavity on the roof. Levels I, II and III are multitaxic multidominant assemblages, with the sabretooth cats Promegantereon ogygia and Machairodus aphanistus and the ursid Indarctos arctoides being the most abundant species. These carnivoran-dominated assemblages are autochthonous and show diagenetically fractured but well-preserved remains (complete, little to no weathering or abrasion). Root marks and manganese oxide precipitation are common and more abundant in Level III, due to modern pedogenic processes. There are also a few allochthonous, badly preserved (weathered and abraded) herbivore remains that were washed into the cavity. The taphonomic homogeneity of all three levels suggests recurring taphonomic and geologic processes throughout the accumulation of infill in the cave. The trap-like nature of the cave, unbroken and largely unweathered carnivoran bones suggest these predators intentionally jumped into the cave but were unable to escape.

中文翻译：

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西班牙马德里盆地 Batallones-3 以食肉动物为主的晚中新世组合中反复出现的埋葬过程

以食肉动物为主的化石遗址在化石记录中很少见，但提供了有关过去食肉动物行会的多样性和生态的宝贵信息。Cerro de los Batallones 遗址拥有最古老的以食肉动物为主的组合，在化石记录中观察到的食肉动物丰度最高。Batallones-3（晚中新世，西班牙马德里盆地）拥有三个离散的、以食肉动物为主的化石层，沉积在一个直径 15m、高 4m 的假岩溶空腔中，顶部空腔口下方有 1m 高的距骨锥。I、II 和 III 级是多方向的多优势组合，剑齿猫Promegantereon ogygia和Machairodus aphanistus以及 ursid Indarctos arctoides是最丰富的物种。这些以食肉动物为主的组合是本土的，显示出成岩断裂但保存完好的遗迹（完整，几乎没有风化或磨损）。由于现代成土过程，根痕和氧化锰沉淀在 III 级很常见且更为丰富。还有一些异地的、保存完好的（风化和磨损的）草食动物遗骸被冲进了洞穴。所有三个层次的埋藏同质性表明在洞穴中填充物的整个积累过程中反复出现埋藏和地质过程。洞穴的类似陷阱的性质，完整且大部分未风化的食肉动物骨头表明这些掠食者故意跳入洞穴但无法逃脱。