On a Magdalenian engraved fish in the Margot cave (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne, France)

An engraved fish that can be attributed to the final Magdalenian period was discovered in 2010 in the Margot cave (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne, France). It shows graphic details that allow us to propose some clues to taxonomic determination. It must be a freshwater fish; the hypothesis of a Cyprinidae such as a tench is acceptable, considering that the 3.1 layer of the nearby Rochefort cave, attributable to the Final Paleolithic, has yielded a branchial arch of another Cyprinidae (probably a chub or a dace). Fish is not a usual theme in Paleolithic wall art. Here it is associated with another engraved animal figure, which is not fully determinable (seal or other fish).