Tiger Rock Cave

Tiger Rock Cave

Tiger Rock Cave

Tiger Rock Cave is located one kilometer northwest of Hucun Town, Ninghua County. It is a limestone cave, ten meters high with an area of 1,500 square meters. The entrance faces south, and the flat ground outside the cave is slightly lower than the entrance level; the interior is dry and hosts a small number of bats. It was discovered in 1981. Specimens collected were preliminarily identified by the provincial geological team and relevant departments as fossils of Quaternary mammals. In 1982, experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted further archaeological research on the cave’s formation and the types of cave-dwelling animals.

Deep inside the cave, there is a cultural layer covering nine square meters, with a sediment accumulation up to one meter thick. Over 20 types of fossils were collected, including thousands of animal teeth, among which 17 species could be identified: giant panda, saber-toothed elephant, macaque, rhinoceros, porcupine, rat, wild rabbit, sambar deer, bear, wild ox, etc., belonging to nine orders such as insectivores, primates, lagomorphs, and carnivores. Analysis suggests these belong to the giant panda–saber-toothed elephant fauna group. Additionally, several animal bone fossils were found bearing clear cut marks indicative of ancient human butchering activities. This site has been designated as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit.