Final answer:
Species depicted in Western European cave paintings include various large wild animals, with Lascaux and Chauvet caves housing prominent examples of such art. While herbivores dominate, predators are present too. The mismatch between depicted species and found bone deposits suggests complexity in their artistic choices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The species associated with the cave paintings in Western Europe, particularly in France and Spain, includes a vast array of animals depicted by Upper Paleolithic humans. Predominantly, cave sites like Lascaux and Chauvet showcase paintings of large wild animals such as bison, horses, aurochs, and deer. Interestingly, the bones left behind at these sites do not always match the species most commonly depicted in the art. For example, at Lascaux, while reindeer bones prevail, they are conspicuously absent from the paintings, whereas equine species are the most common.
Within the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, evidence of Upper Paleolithic life and art showcases at least thirteen different species, including not only herbivores but also predators like cave lions, panthers, bears, and cave hyenas. These paintings, which range from approximately 15,000 to more than 30,000 years old, offer insights into the creatures that were significant — either as prey or perhaps symbolically — to the people of that era. The discovery of Neanderthal cave art in Spain further expands our understanding of prehistoric art and suggests that Neanderthals may have engaged in symbolic expression well before the arrival of Homo sapiens in the region.