The First Record of Vulpes corsac Linnaeus, 1768 in the Late Pleistocene of Poland

The occurrence of Vulpes corsac in the Late Pleistocene of Europe is primarily supported by a limited number of uncertain records, many of which require revision. More reliable evidence derives from localities in Bohemia and Ukraine. The species’ history is particularly well documented in Ukraine, which also preserves the only Holocene occurrences of V. corsac in Europe, and where it persists in the eastern regions to the present day. To this record we now add the first locality from Poland, identified in Rogóżka Cave (Sudety, Silesia). It appears that Vulpes corsac was never abundant in Late Pleistocene Europe. Confirming its presence requires careful taxonomic analysis, as its rare remains must be distinguished from those of Vulpes vulpes and Vulpes lagopus, which are far more common in Late Pleistocene and Holocene assemblages.