Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus)

Biglari, F. and V. Jahani (2011) The Pleistocene Human Settlement in Gilan, Southwest Caspian Sea: Recent Research, Eurasian Prehistory, 8 (1–2): 3–28.

by Fereidoun Biglari

This paper reviews recent developments in the Paleolithic archaeology in the Gilan region of south western Caspian Sea... more This paper reviews recent developments in the Paleolithic archaeology in the Gilan region of south western Caspian Sea utilizing in formation accumulated over the last decade. The documented sites fall within the Early to the Late Paleolithic periods and include both sheltered (caves and rock shelters) and open-air sites. The Lower Paleolithic sites of Ganj Par and Darband produced archaeological record dating back at least to Middle Pleistocene. For the later Middle Paleolithic period, the only known site is Yarshalman, while late Paleolithic remains are known from at least four caves and rock shelters and two open-air sites. Gilan currently furnishes the most convincing evidence for the Acheulian industry in Iran and the earliest radiometric date for the presence of hominins in the Iranian Plateau.

Can morphospace shed light on cave bear spatial-temporal variation?

by Krish Seetah

Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) behavioural ecology, as evidenced through population dynamics, is crucial for improving our... more Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) behavioural ecology, as evidenced through population dynamics, is crucial for improving our understanding of why this species went extinct. Despite the fact that the bones of this species have been recovered in very large quantities, allowing for extensive study, fundamental questions regarding its life-ways remain unanswered.We present research using geometric morphometrics (GMM) on molars to investigate population structure based on morphological variation over space and through time. This preliminary work deliberately restricts the geographic catchment area for sampling, allowing for a meaningful appraisal of scale of variation within a spatially conservative framework. Our results demonstrate no significant morphological variation evident temporally and a small but statistically significant degree of shape variation geographically despite the proximity of the study localities. These findings suggest that an accurate quantitative exploration of morphospace may be an important source of evidence on environmental and climatic shifts and the resulting influence on animal morphology.

ROMANDINI M. & NANNINI N., 2011, Cacciatori epigravettiani nel Covolo Fortificato di Trene (Colli Berici, Vicenza): sfruttamento dell’orso speleo. Preistoria Alpina, 45 (2011): 7-19

by Nicola Nannini

Il Covolo Fortificato di Trene è situato lungo il versante orientale dei Colli Berici (VI), nel mezzo della grande... more Il Covolo Fortificato di Trene è situato lungo il versante orientale dei Colli Berici (VI), nel mezzo della grande pianura padano-veneta dell’Italia del Nord, ad una quota di 360 m s.l.m.. La cavità è stata oggetto di scavi sistematici compiuti dall’Università di Ferrara nel 1956, i quali hanno restituito un deposito dello spessore di 1,14 m suddiviso in sette unità stratigrafiche. I livelli inquadrano la frequentazione antropica all’ Epigravettiano Antico grazie all’industria rinvenuta, confortata da due datazioni su osso a 17.640±140 C14 anni B.P. e 18.630±150 C14 anni B.P., accompagnata da ossa di macromammiferi, uccelli e carboni. Questo lavoro presenta la revisione tassonomica e lo studio archeozoologico di resti faunistici già pubblicati (Pasa in Leonardi, 1959), il cui spettro evidenzia una netta dominanza di Ursus spelaeus sugli altri taxa determinati.
Durante la frequentazione il sito era immerso in un ambiente prevalentemente forestale a clima temperato freddo con presenza di zone umide nella piana sottostante testimoniato dalla presenza di alce, cervo, cinghiale e vertebre di pesce.
L’analisi tafonomica ha rilevato la presenza di tracce antropiche su resti di alce e orso speleo, il quale utilizzava la grotta come tana durante lo svernamento. Lo studio si è concentrato sui resti dell’urside, interessati da tracce di macellazione, rivolte all’acquisizione di pellicce da individui prevalentemente giovanili.
Inoltre un confronto circoscritto (Colli Berici) con siti coevi (Grotta di Paina; Grotta del Buso Doppio), associa la presenza di orso speleo alle punte a cran.

Was the European cave bear an occasional cannibal or an occasional scavenger?

by Gloria Cuenca-Bescós

Rabal-Garcés, R., Cuenca-Bescós, G., Canudo, J.I., and Torres, T. 2011. Lethaia 45, 96-108.

El estudio de las marcas de "mordidas" en los huesos fósiles de los osos de las cavernas de Tella (Huesca)... more El estudio de las marcas de "mordidas" en los huesos fósiles de los osos de las cavernas de Tella (Huesca) demuestra que los osos mordían ocasionalmente los huesos de otros osos de las cavernas. No se puede demostrar si era un caso de canibalismo o mas bien, un carroñeo ocasional. En mi opinión se trata de los segundo pues el consumo de los huesos (por ejemplo el de las hienas) destruye prácticamente las epífisis.

ROMANDINI M. & NANNINI N., 2012- Chasseurs épigravettiens dans le territoire de l’ours des cavernes : le cas du Covolo Fortificato di Trene (Colli Berici, Vicenza). L’Anthropologie, vol 116 n°1, 2012

by Nicola Nannini

Sex-ratio et analyse des mélanges d'Ursus spelaeus (Carnivora, Ursidae) du gisement pléistocène supérieur de Fate (Ligurie, Italie). Implications paléobiologiques.

by Hervé Monchot

Quilés, J., Monchot, H. 2004. Annales de Paléontologie 90, 115-133.

Determination of the sex-ratio of a fossil population is essential for understanding the palaeoethologyof a taxon, and... more Determination of the sex-ratio of a fossil population is essential for understanding the palaeoethologyof a taxon, and this is especially true for the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). Classical methods for determining sex-ratios such as analyses using uni and bivariate plots are based on an arbitrary fixingof the limit between the sexes. Therefore, a more robust statistical method termed mixture analysishas been applied in this study to test all the postcranial remains of cave bear (essentially carpals, tarsals and metapodials) derived from the Upper Pleistocene site of Fate (Liguria, Italy).Results give a sex-ratio of about 35% female individuals and show a clear predominance of males. Mixture analysis appears to be a reliable method for sex-ratio determination in U. spelaeus. In thisstudy, few dimensions have been excluded because of a significant error in sex classification. Then umerous measurements identified as good predictors of sexual dimorphism in the cave bear are probably linked to the marked sexual differences in the body mass of the animal. Palaeobiological interpretations suggest that there are no available hypotheses to explain the high variability ofsex-ratios documented for the cave bear in Palaeolithic sites. The individual animal behaviour appears to be the only criteria in determining their choice of a winter den. But trophic and social regulations on living populations may have influenced this choice.The association between mortality profiles and sex-ratios appears to be related to the generalfunction of a den. The thanatocenosis of cave bears in the Fate assemblage indicates the presence of a high number of juveniles and male individuals, such that the site may have served either as a nurseryor and as a male den.

Mixture analysis: a new method for cave bear sex-ratio determination.

by Hervé Monchot

Quilés, J., Monchot, H., Pacher, M. 2005. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse et de Midi-Pyrénées, 141, 29-37.

Sex ratio determination is essential for palaeontological and palaeoethological researches on fossil taxa, especially... more Sex ratio determination is essential for palaeontological and palaeoethological researches on fossil taxa, especially for cave bear which shows an important sexual dimorphism. “Classical” methods use uni- and bivariate plots to fix an arbitrary limit between sexes. Therefore, a more robust statistical methods, termed “mixture analysis”, has been applied to determine the sex-ratio of the cave bear from Schwabenreith, Gamssulzen (Austrian, Alps), Fate, Basura, and Badalucco (northwest of Italy). This method has been previously calibrated on the post-cranial material of cave bear from Fate (QUILES & MONCHOT 2004). In order to define sexual dimorphism for the whole skeleton, seven elements (lower canine, lower and upper second molars, scapholunar, navicular, metacarpal 3 and metatarsal 3) have been selected for their reliability and their abundance in studied assemblages. A quantified comparison between results of bivariate plots and mixture analysis highlights the better reliability and rigor of the new method. The latter, however, also offers a standardized and replicable procedure which provides a calculated cu-off point and a misclassification error for each dimensions, permitting the analyst to determine precise sexual groups as well as identifying those specimens that cannot be sexed; Cheeck teeth can be sexed as reliably as lower canine and post-cranial elements, providing statistically equivalent results. Lower canine, second upper molar and scapholunar are the most effective bones for determining sex-ratio in cave bear.