The specific name velunensis is established to encompass porcupine remains ( Hystrix Linnæus, 1758) recovered from the Pliocene site of Węże 1 in southern Poland. The studied specimen was previously assigned either to H. primigenia (Wagner, 1848) or H. depereti Sen, 2001, however it can be distinguished from these species and other fossil Hystricidae by its distinct occlusal morphology, most importantly the presence of an anterolingual flexus dissecting the anteroloph of P4. Hystrix velunensis sp. nov. was probably closely related to H. primigenia and H. depereti. A previously undescribed specimen from the nearby site of Węże 2 most probably belongs to H. refossa Gervais, 1852b, which would be the first known occurrence of this species in Poland.

An important source of palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental information is intra-specimen variability of isotopic composition of mammal tooth enamel. It reflects seasonal or behavioral changes in diet and climate occurring during a life of the animal. While well-known in ungulates, in carnivorans this variability is poorly recognized. However, carnivoran remains are amongst the most numerous in the Pleistocene fossil record of terrestrial mammals, so their isotopic signature should be of particular interest. The aim of the study was to verify if enamel of a fossil cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea) and a cave bear (Ursus ingressus) records any regular inter- or intra-tooth isotopic variability. We examined intra-individual variability of δ13C and δ18O values in permanent cheek teeth enamel of fossil cave hyena and cave bear from the site of the Perspektywiczna Cave (southern Poland). We conclude that the isotopic variability of the cave hyena is low, possibly because enamel mineralization took place when the animals still relied on a uniform milk diet. Only the lowermost parts of P3 and P4 enamel record a shift toward an adult diet. In the case of the cave bear, the sequence of enamel formation records periodic isotopic changes, possibly correlating with the first seasons of the animal life.