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Aerial View from Visitor's Centre
Aerial View on boats from Visitor's Centre
Nature of Zasavica
A bird in Zasavica
A bird in Zasavica
Visitor's Centre View
Visitor's Centre View

Background

Background

There is a lot of information about the presence of European beaver (Castor fiber L. 1758) in Serbia and in wider area. The data from paleontologist and archeological excavations show the continual presence of beaver from Pleistocene through prehistory to its complete extinction from this area at the beginning of the 20th century.

In most profiles of middle Pleistocene the most common fossil remains were the bones from: Bison, Capra, Megaceros, Equus, Hyaena, Ursus, Rupicarpa, Leopardus, Capreolus, Mammutheus, Dicerorhinus, Hystris, Canis, etc.

The remains of bones in Macedonia (near the village of Manastir), Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia dated back to the middle Pleistocene ( mindel-riss ) from 300.000-200.000 BC contained following fauna: Hyaena cf. perrieri , Dicerorhinus etruscus , D. hemitoechus , Equus mosbache mosbachensis , Dama cf. nestii , Leptobos cf. etrusceus , Hystrix cf. refossa where we can especially emphasise the presence of today`s beaver relative Trogontherium cuvieri. All named species belong to so called warm-blooded fauna which indicates the existence of warm steppes with smaller forests. This middle Pleistocene fauna was found in cave sediments where fossil man used to bring it.

The fauna remains from the late Pleistocene have been most completely researched because they were the ones to enable the existence of the Neanderthals as representatives of middle Paleolithic cultures and to sapient hominids during the early Paleolithic. Late Pleistocene includes the period from the Interglacial riss/wurm (120.000-80.000 BC) to the late Glacial. There were some significant climate changes in this period which influenced change of plants and animals so there was a successive exchange of cold and warm-blooded animal species. The Interglacial riss/wurm period was characterized by warm-blooded fauna while in the mid-periods the priority was given to the species adjusted to the mild climate.

The warm-blooded species are known from numerous layers of the interglacial riss/wurm all over Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. The most important representatives of this warm-blooded fauna are: hedgehood ( Erinaceus ereropaeus ), mole ( Tapla europaea ), bats ( Rhinolophus ferrumrquinum, Myotis myotis, Plecotus aurinus ), Crocuta spelaea, cave lion ( Panthereae spelaea ), leopard ( Leopardus pardus ), marten ( Martes foina ), badger ( Meles meles ), otter ( Lutra lutra ), fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), cave bear ( Ursus spelaeus ), Plalaeoxodon antiquus , hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus antiques ), deer ( Cervus Elaphus ), giant deer ( Dama dama ), roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), wild cow ( Bosprimigenius ), dormouse ( Glis glis ), hare ( Lepis europaeus ), beaver ( Castor fiber ) etc. Paleolithic material culture was connected with this Interglacial fauna. It can be statistically calculated according to the skeleton remains of certain animals some of which were most hunted. For example in Krapina half-cave in the sediments of the Interglacial riss/wurm the remains of rhinoceros, beaver, fallow deer and wild cow are dominant.

In the late Glacial or Postglacial there were some significant changes in fauna. The climate was changing influenced by gradual warming. The glaciers were getting smaller and moving to the North and there was transgression in the Adriatic Sea. The sea level was increasing and reaching the North Adriatic bay, the islands were parting from the mainland and relief similar to today’s one was formed. The climate change together with some other elements caused the extinction of some species such as wollen rhinoceros, mammoth etc. Other species were going to the North such as polar fox, glutton bear, reindeer, lemming etc. and some stayed and became gradually adjusted to new living conditions (North-European elk, wild cow, beaver etc.).

Beavers and hamsters became present on this area at the end of the late Glacial, when the climate became more suitable for life.

The Holocene as the latest part of the quarter includes the last 10.000 years, the period from the climate phase of the Boreal to the Subrecent. At the beginning of the Holocene, the Mesolithic material culture was the most spread with its typical fauna consisted of deer, roe deer, wild pig, wild cow, dark bear, wild cat, wolf, hare and beaver. The domestication of some animals began during the Mesolithic, so some of the first animals having been domesticated were dog, then goat, sheep, cow, pig etc. In the early Holocene there were herds of North-European elk, giant deer and European bison on the pastures in our area and in the rivers there were numerous colonies of beaver. The “man-hunter” of that age completely changed his nomadic way of life for permanent settlements and started adjusting the nature to his demands which led to permanent disturbance of relationships in nature.

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