The Quibas site (Abanilla, Region of Murcia) was discovered by chance. An old quarry left the remains of bones in the open air that, when they began to be investigated, turned this paleontological site into one of the most important in Europe. Quibas is a window open to a past a million years ago, a Pleistocene world through which saber-toothed animals, bison, flying squirrels, wild dogs, macaques and the first Iberian lynxes passed through. Pedro Piñero has run it since 2014 and thanks to the study of the fossils of this ancestor of the lynx, he helps its conservation (through Life Lynxconnect)
Why is Quibas special?
In the year 94, a cave full of sediments and loaded with fossils was exposed. It began to be studied and until now we have discovered several singularities that make it unique internationally. One of them is his age. There is no site in Europe between 1,100,000 and 900,000 years old that also has remains of continental vertebrates. We have also seen that it is the last refuge for subtropical or tropical animals in Europe. The Murcia region was the last refuge for species that came from warmer times. In addition, we have discovered seven climatic phases – glacial and interglacial – that allow us to know how the climate and landscape evolved in southern Europe at that time.
Your star discovery is a lynx, why is it so important?
Because it is the oldest known skeleton. In Russia there is a somewhat older skull fragment, but we have obtained up to 60 pieces from the same individual. This allows us to know if it was bigger or smaller than the current one, if it already hunted rabbits or had a different diet. Furthermore, it opens a window for us to understand what the Iberian Peninsula was like a million years ago and how climate changes affected the fauna. The site competes in age with the places where the oldest human presences in Europe have been found, such as the Sima del Elefante, in Atapuerca. It helps us imagine what environment lynxes and early humans lived in.
Can studying fauna and flora from so long ago provide information about climate change?
Paleontology not only serves to understand the past, but also to establish conservation measures. If we know how life reacted to past climate changes, we can understand how we got here and predict what may happen in the future. By studying how the Iberian lynx reacted to ancient environmental fluctuations, we can apply that knowledge to its conservation.
What differentiates those old changes from the current one?
Those of the past were much slower. Now we live in an unprecedented situation, with very rapid and accelerated ecological instability. We can extrapolate this to the future conservation of species such as the lynx: knowing in which habitats it lived best, etc., and thus understanding whether in the face of current climate change it will be able to adapt or not. The clues are in the study of the past.
How many more years can there be of study at Quibas?
As long as there are funds, there is work for decades. But we don’t want to stop at research alone. We want society to know about it and we hope that soon people will be able to enjoy a “Safari through the Pleistocene” and learn about the eighty species that we have identified.
Is interest in paleontology increasing?
Definitely. Paleontology allows us to travel in time, something that fascinates everyone. The Earth has memory, and it keeps it in its fossils. Spain, furthermore, is a paradise. We have exceptional sites, from those in Atapuerca to those of dinosaurs in the Pyrenees, and very good equipment in universities and research centers.
What questions remain to be answered?
One of the big questions is how life originated and the causes of mass extinctions remain to be understood. 250 million years ago 95% of life disappeared. There are hypotheses, but it is not yet resolved. Nor is the origin of vertebrates or that of our own species.