Interglacial remains of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus(?)) from North Greenland

A caribou antler from Kap København in Peary Land has been radiocarbon dated at > 40,000 B.P. A corresponding infinite date was obtained on allochthonous plant and animal remains, including five lemming droppings from Skalhøjene in Warming Land. These remains are indicative of high arctic conditions much like the present environment of the region. Because the caribou antler and the remains from Skalhojene point to biotic and climatic conditions no more severe than modern conditions, an interglacial age is suggested, and we propose that they belong to the Sangamonian Stage. The finds indicate that evolution of high arctic subspecies such as Rangifer tarandus pearyi and Dicrostonyx torquatus groenlandicus probably took place in pre-Wisconsinan times. It is unlikely that caribou and lemming survived in North Greenland during the last full glacial period. They probably re-immigrated in the early Holocene.