The models obtained from dietary tests on domestic mammals (ewes or pigs) cannot be directly transposed to the fossil record. Indeed, controlled-feeding experiments cannot reproduce the vast diversity and complexity of chemical, physical and biomechanical properties of the various foods making up the diet of a given species.

Exploring present-day wild communities is, therefore, an essential step before studying the fossil record. To this end, we have seized several a number of opportunities to set up real case studies that will serve as stepping stones for our scientific community.