Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas
The polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') is the apex predator of the Arctic but its distribution throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene has not previously been reported. Although natural death specimens of this species (‘fossils’) are rare, archaeological remains are much more common. This hist...
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Ubiquity Press
2022
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5334/oq.107 https://doaj.org/article/0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 2023-05-15T14:55:39+02:00 Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas Susan J. Crockford 2022-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5334/oq.107 https://doaj.org/article/0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 EN eng Ubiquity Press https://www.openquaternary.com/articles/107 https://doaj.org/toc/2055-298X 2055-298X doi:10.5334/oq.107 https://doaj.org/article/0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 Open Quaternary, Vol 8, Iss 1 (2022) ursus maritimus arctic zhokov island extralimital records ecology skeletal remains Human evolution GN281-289 Prehistoric archaeology GN700-890 Paleontology QE701-760 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5334/oq.107 2022-12-30T23:19:54Z The polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') is the apex predator of the Arctic but its distribution throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene has not previously been reported. Although natural death specimens of this species (‘fossils’) are rare, archaeological remains are much more common. This historical compilation presents the record of known ancient polar bear remains from fossil and archaeological contexts before AD 1910. Most remains date within the Holocene and derive from human habitation sites within the modern range of the species, with extralimital specimens documented in the north Atlantic during the late Pleistocene and in the southern Bering Sea during the middle Holocene reflecting natural expansions of sea ice during known cold periods. The single largest polar bear assemblage was recovered from an archaeological site on Zhokhov Island, Russia, occupied ca. 8,250–7,800 a BP during the warmer-than-today Holocene Climatic Optimum: 5,915 polar bear bones were recovered, representing 28% of all remains identified. Polar bear fossils and archaeological remains across the Arctic are most often found in proximity to areas where polynyas (recurring areas of thin ice or open water) are known today and which likely occurred in the past, including for the oldest known fossil from Svalbard (ca. 130–115 k a BP) and the oldest known archaeological specimens from Zhokhov Island (ca. 8,000 a BP). This pattern indicates that as they do today, polar bears may have been most commonly found near polynyas throughout their known historical past because of their need for ice-edge habitats at which to hunt seals. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Bering Sea North Atlantic Sea ice Svalbard Ursus maritimus Zhokhov Island Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Bering Sea Svalbard Open Quaternary 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
ursus maritimus arctic zhokov island extralimital records ecology skeletal remains Human evolution GN281-289 Prehistoric archaeology GN700-890 Paleontology QE701-760 |
spellingShingle |
ursus maritimus arctic zhokov island extralimital records ecology skeletal remains Human evolution GN281-289 Prehistoric archaeology GN700-890 Paleontology QE701-760 Susan J. Crockford Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
topic_facet |
ursus maritimus arctic zhokov island extralimital records ecology skeletal remains Human evolution GN281-289 Prehistoric archaeology GN700-890 Paleontology QE701-760 |
description |
The polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') is the apex predator of the Arctic but its distribution throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene has not previously been reported. Although natural death specimens of this species (‘fossils’) are rare, archaeological remains are much more common. This historical compilation presents the record of known ancient polar bear remains from fossil and archaeological contexts before AD 1910. Most remains date within the Holocene and derive from human habitation sites within the modern range of the species, with extralimital specimens documented in the north Atlantic during the late Pleistocene and in the southern Bering Sea during the middle Holocene reflecting natural expansions of sea ice during known cold periods. The single largest polar bear assemblage was recovered from an archaeological site on Zhokhov Island, Russia, occupied ca. 8,250–7,800 a BP during the warmer-than-today Holocene Climatic Optimum: 5,915 polar bear bones were recovered, representing 28% of all remains identified. Polar bear fossils and archaeological remains across the Arctic are most often found in proximity to areas where polynyas (recurring areas of thin ice or open water) are known today and which likely occurred in the past, including for the oldest known fossil from Svalbard (ca. 130–115 k a BP) and the oldest known archaeological specimens from Zhokhov Island (ca. 8,000 a BP). This pattern indicates that as they do today, polar bears may have been most commonly found near polynyas throughout their known historical past because of their need for ice-edge habitats at which to hunt seals. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Susan J. Crockford |
author_facet |
Susan J. Crockford |
author_sort |
Susan J. Crockford |
title |
Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
title_short |
Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
title_full |
Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
title_fullStr |
Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
title_full_unstemmed |
Polar Bear Fossil and Archaeological Records from the Pleistocene and Holocene in Relation to Sea Ice Extent and Open Water Polynyas |
title_sort |
polar bear fossil and archaeological records from the pleistocene and holocene in relation to sea ice extent and open water polynyas |
publisher |
Ubiquity Press |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5334/oq.107 https://doaj.org/article/0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 |
geographic |
Arctic Bering Sea Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bering Sea Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic Bering Sea North Atlantic Sea ice Svalbard Ursus maritimus Zhokhov Island |
genre_facet |
Arctic Bering Sea North Atlantic Sea ice Svalbard Ursus maritimus Zhokhov Island |
op_source |
Open Quaternary, Vol 8, Iss 1 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.openquaternary.com/articles/107 https://doaj.org/toc/2055-298X 2055-298X doi:10.5334/oq.107 https://doaj.org/article/0fe83bbbd49c405bb87e771485020497 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5334/oq.107 |
container_title |
Open Quaternary |
container_volume |
8 |
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1766327677595156480 |