The Solutrean in the Cantabrian region is one of the periods in the Upper Palaeolithic with the highest number of faunal studies conducted in recent decades, which offer valuable insights into how human groups exploited their environment for survival. Here, the authors analyse twenty-four archaeological levels from twelve sites dated between c. 22 and 19.5 ky cal bp, focusing on the exploitation of large mammals through palaeoecological and palaeoeconomic approaches. Their examination of prey acquisition and transport, age profiles, seasonality, nutrition, and energy costs shows that hunting decisions were influenced not only by the economic profitability of prey but also by the environment, topography, climate, animal behaviour, and species abundance. This multifactorial perspective provides an updated view of subsistence strategies at the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum.
