| Hualong Cave | |
|---|---|
| Hualongdong | |
 Interactive map of Hualong Cave | |
| Location | Dongzhi County,Anhui, People's Republic of China |
| Coordinates | 30°03′48″N116°33′55″E / 30.0634°N 116.5654°E /30.0634; 116.5654 |
| Depth | 3.1–4.8 m |
| Length | 93 m |
Hualong Cave (simplified Chinese:华龙洞;traditional Chinese:華龍洞;pinyin:huálóng dòng;lit. 'flowery/elegant dragon cave') is a cave in Pangwang village in Dongzhi County,Anhui Province, China, and situated on the southern bank ofYangtze.[1] It is located on the side of Meiyuan Hill. Palaeontological interest started in 2004 when a farmer accidentally found bones that were later identified as mammalian fossils.[2] Excavations started in 2006 by paleontologists from theChinese Academy of Sciences.[3] It has yielded many stone tools and over 30 human fossils, and animal bones including those ofAiluropoda,Arctonyx,Bubalus,Sinomegaceros,Stegodon,giant tapir, andgiant pandas. The most notable fossils are those of theHualongdong people,[4] includingHomo erectus (dubbed Dongzhi Man) described in 2014,[5] and that of a 300,000-year-old archaic human discovered in 2019.[6]
Hualong Cave shows the lifestyle of humans in the Paleolithic Age. Bone tools were used for cutting animals but not for hunting. More than 100 stone tools have been discovered. These stone tools were made fromsiliceous rocks.Scrapers were the most abundant tools.[7]
More than 40 species of mammalian fossils have been discovered from Hualong Cave. The majority of them areeven-toed ungulates. Only few rodents can be identified. Important specimens includeAiluropoda,Arctonyx,Bubalus,Sinomegaceros,stegodon, giant tapir, and giant pandas. The occurrence ofSinomegaceros in the cave is remarked as the most southern in China.[3]
Popularized as Dongzhi Man, a human fossil described in 2014 from Hualong Cave is considered as among the most well-preservedHomo erectus specimens.[5] It was discovered in 2006 along with stone artifacts and animal fossils during the first excavation. It consisted of two skull fragments and one separated (lowermolar) teeth. The skull fragments were believed to be from the same individual.[8] It is different from other fossils of the same species includingPeking Man found in China. The teeth surfaces (enamel-dentine junctions) are much simpler and thecusps are sharper.[9]
| Recent human family tree |
| According to Niet al. 2021[10] (note,Xiahe andDenisovans are most closely related toNeanderthals according tonDNA andancient protein analyses by Chenet al. 2019.[11]) |
In 2019 a discovery of 16 human fossils was announced which were estimated to be about 300,000 (275,000–331,000) years old.[2] The fossil assemblage included 8 cranial elements, seven isolated teeth, threefemoral diaphyseal pieces, and major portions of an adolescent skull (designated HLD 6, HLD for Hualongdong).