The palaeolithic site Schöningen 12B was excavated in 1992 in the open-cast lignite pit near Schöningen (Germany). Apart from lithic artefacts more than 1.000 remains of larger mammals have been collected, representing eleven species. The fauna indicates open forest or the transition between forest and areas with an open vegetation. The various species are characteristic for an interglacial fauna. Comparison with the faunas from Bilzingsleben and from Weimar-Ehringsdorf I suggests an Holsteinian or Early Saalian age for Schöningen 12B.