The Middle (MP) and Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) evidences of shellfish collection on the southern
Iberian site of Bajondillo cave are presented and compared with Westernmost Mediterranean archaeological
sites. The main feature is stasis for Mytilus galloprovincialis represents the dominant taxon during
a ~120kyr temporal sequence. The second feature is the decrease of the shellfishing signal when site
distance to the coast increases. The data reveal that shellfish collection was practiced during Marine
Isotopic Stage 4, a poorly documented stage in terms of aquatic adaptations. Striking is also that mollusc
assemblages evidence an uninterrupted decreasing trend in terms of remains from the earliest to the
latest levels, in particular when H. sapiens replaced H. neanderthalensis. Although taxa of secondary
importance are too scarce to make reliable inferences, another difference between the MP and EUP
collections is the substantial increase of infaunal bivalves in the latter cultural period. Warm and cold
water mollusc records match temperature rises and drops although the scarcity of data do not allow one
to proceed beyond qualitative statements. Likewise, the prevalence of fresh and brackish water mollusc
hint at a permanent presence of freshwater around the site at all times. When compared with assemblages
from the Alboran sea region (Westernmost Mediterranean Sea), the Bajondillo cave collections are
remarkable for their abundance of mussels. Comparison between Bajondillo cave and Pinnacle Point
reveal that infaunal bivalve abundances in the South African site are far higher than those recorded in the
MP levels, though not those from the EUP.
