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The latestUrsus spelaeus in Italy, a new contribution to the extinction chronology of the cave bear

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017

Ivan Martini
Affiliation:
Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
Mauro Coltorti
Affiliation:
Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
Paul P.A. Mazza*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
Marco Rustioni
Affiliation:
Museum of Paleontology, via Poggio Bracciolini 36-40, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy
Fabio Sandrelli
Affiliation:
Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

The skeleton of a young prime adult cave bear,Ursus spelaeus, was found in Chiostraccio Cave (Siena, Tuscany, central Italy), only slightly buried under rock falls. The specimen was dated yielding a conventional age of 24,030 ± 10014C yr BP (29,200–28,550 cal yr BP), which makes it the latest known representative of the species in Italy. The skeleton was accompanied by the remains of wolf (Canis lupus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), aurochs (Bos primigenius), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), bat (Vespertinus murinus), and crow (Corvus monedula). The site seems confirming that the latest ItalianU. spelaeus populations shared the risk of intrusion. The association of the cave bear with other animals suggests that the assemblage is an attritional palimpsest of remains of different species not originally associated in life. Cave bears were probably more vegetarian than brown bears and possibly became extinct when plant productivity dropped at the onset of MIS 2. Central and southern Italy may have offered isolated and sheltered refugia for cave bears.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
University of Washington

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