These animals are documented in the faunal assemblages from Göbekli Tepe and from contemporary sites in the region.

The pattern of animal exploitation visible in the bone assemblages suggests a focus on specific species — gazelle and aurochs appear to be particularly well-represented — rather than an undifferentiated take on whatever was available.

This selectivity may reflect both the actual abundance of certain species in the landscape and deliberate preferences in hunting behavior.

The combination of abundant wild cereals and diverse wild game in the local landscape provides the ecological context for the large-scale gathering and feasting activities proposed for Göbekli Tepe.

Communities that could draw on the resources of this productive upland environment to feed hundreds of gathered people would have had access to exactly the kinds of food that the faunal and botanical evidence suggests was being processed and consumed at the site.