Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet
Cave bears Ursus spelaeus are known from many limestone caves throughout the European Pleistocene. Despite the enormous quantities of fossils unearthed, many aspects of the cave bear ecology are still little known. Cave bear remains appear almost always with an array of variously sized tooth punctur...
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ftcsic:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/195659 2024-02-11T10:09:18+01:00 Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet Pinto Llona, Ana C. Principado de Asturias European Commission 2013 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/195659 https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 https://doi.org/10.13039/100011941 en eng Elsevier Postprint https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.11.017 Sí Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 370, 15: 41-50 (2013) 0031-0182 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/195659 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011941 open Carnivora Diet Microwear Scanning electron microscope Ursus arctos Ursus spelaeus artículo http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 2013 ftcsic https://doi.org/10.13039/50110000078010.13039/10001194110.1016/j.palaeo.2012.11.017 2024-01-16T10:46:02Z Cave bears Ursus spelaeus are known from many limestone caves throughout the European Pleistocene. Despite the enormous quantities of fossils unearthed, many aspects of the cave bear ecology are still little known. Cave bear remains appear almost always with an array of variously sized tooth punctures, and the evidence from tooth mark types and sizes at several cave bear sites studied here indicates that cave bears themselves were responsible for the scavenging modifications recorded at these cave bear-only sites. Anatomical evidence for cave bear diet indicates that they had a tough-plant based diet and in addition, their powerful front legs suggest an enhanced digging capability that has sometimes been thought to relate to digging for tubers. Dental microwear analysis (DMA) approaches fossil and extant diets by comparing tooth wear for animals of known diet with that shown by fossils. Scanning electron microscope micrographs were prepared and the microwear features were measured. The results show differences in wear patterns between brown bears and cave bears from several locations and chronologies across northern Spain. There is no indication that these cave bears ate tubers or any food contaminated by soil; but the dental microwear observed indicates that they had a greater degree of bone consumption compared with brown bears. DuPont, the FICYT, and the European Research Fund for Large Scale Facilities provided funding. Also thanks are given to the Principado de Asturias that provided funding for the excavations in Somiedo and Tito Bustillo. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus arctos Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
op_collection_id |
ftcsic |
language |
English |
topic |
Carnivora Diet Microwear Scanning electron microscope Ursus arctos Ursus spelaeus |
spellingShingle |
Carnivora Diet Microwear Scanning electron microscope Ursus arctos Ursus spelaeus Pinto Llona, Ana C. Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
topic_facet |
Carnivora Diet Microwear Scanning electron microscope Ursus arctos Ursus spelaeus |
description |
Cave bears Ursus spelaeus are known from many limestone caves throughout the European Pleistocene. Despite the enormous quantities of fossils unearthed, many aspects of the cave bear ecology are still little known. Cave bear remains appear almost always with an array of variously sized tooth punctures, and the evidence from tooth mark types and sizes at several cave bear sites studied here indicates that cave bears themselves were responsible for the scavenging modifications recorded at these cave bear-only sites. Anatomical evidence for cave bear diet indicates that they had a tough-plant based diet and in addition, their powerful front legs suggest an enhanced digging capability that has sometimes been thought to relate to digging for tubers. Dental microwear analysis (DMA) approaches fossil and extant diets by comparing tooth wear for animals of known diet with that shown by fossils. Scanning electron microscope micrographs were prepared and the microwear features were measured. The results show differences in wear patterns between brown bears and cave bears from several locations and chronologies across northern Spain. There is no indication that these cave bears ate tubers or any food contaminated by soil; but the dental microwear observed indicates that they had a greater degree of bone consumption compared with brown bears. DuPont, the FICYT, and the European Research Fund for Large Scale Facilities provided funding. Also thanks are given to the Principado de Asturias that provided funding for the excavations in Somiedo and Tito Bustillo. Peer reviewed |
author2 |
Principado de Asturias European Commission |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pinto Llona, Ana C. |
author_facet |
Pinto Llona, Ana C. |
author_sort |
Pinto Llona, Ana C. |
title |
Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
title_short |
Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
title_full |
Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
title_fullStr |
Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
title_full_unstemmed |
Macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears Ursus spelaeus and brown bears Ursus arctos: Inferences concerning diet |
title_sort |
macrowear and occlusal microwear on teeth of cave bears ursus spelaeus and brown bears ursus arctos: inferences concerning diet |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/195659 https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 https://doi.org/10.13039/100011941 |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_relation |
Postprint https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.11.017 Sí Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 370, 15: 41-50 (2013) 0031-0182 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/195659 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011941 |
op_rights |
open |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.13039/50110000078010.13039/10001194110.1016/j.palaeo.2012.11.017 |
_version_ |
1790609147828371456 |