One or two species? Revision of fossil martens from the late Early Pleistocene sites Deutsch Altenburg 2 and 4 (Austria)

Marten fossils from the Austrian sites Deutsch Altenburg 2 and 4 have been revis-ited. Despite the previous view on the possible occurrence of two marten species, Mar-tes cf. zibellina and Martes vetus, only the presence of the latter has been confirmed. Previous identifications of marten remains as M. zibellina are considered to be related to sexual dimorphism characteristic for M. vetus. The well-preserved viscerocranium and mandibles found at Deutsch Altenburg 2 and 4 are important materials in the European fossil record of this species. The revised material of M. vetus from Deutsch Alten-burg 2 and 4 was compared with fossils from other European Early and early Middle Pleistocene sites, which showed that the species has intermediate features shared with M. martes, M. zibellina, and M. foina.