The cave bear (.) was an iconic extinct bear that inhabited the Pleistocene of Eurasia. The cause of extinction of this species is unclear and to identify the actual factors, it is crucial to understand its feeding preferences. Here, we quantified the shape descriptor metrics in three-dimensional (3D) models of the upper teeth (P-M) of the cave bear to make inferences about its controversial feeding behaviour. We used comparative samples, including representatives of all living bear species with known diets, as a template. Our topographic analyses show that the complexity of upper tooth rows in living bears is more clearly associated with the mechanical properties of the items consumed than with the type of food. Cave bears exhibit intermediate values on topographic metrics compared with the bamboo-feeder giant panda () and specialists in hard mast consumption ( and ). The crown topography of cave bear upper teeth suggests that they could chew on tough vegetal resources of low quality with high efficiency, a characteristic that no living bear currently displays. Our results align with a climate-driven hypothesis to explain the extinction of cave bear populations during the Late Pleistocene.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0792 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
November 2024
Laboratório de Entomologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Semiaquatic bugs of the subfamily Microveliinae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerridae) live in a wide range of habitats, including streams, rivers, lakes, lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, caves, crab holes, tree holes and bromeliads. A total of 120 species has been recorded from the Neotropical region, of which 11 bear modified pretarsal structures on the middle leg. They belong to the genera Euvelia Drake, 1957 (seven Neotropical species), Husseyella Herring, 1955 (three Neotropical species), and Xiphovelia Lundblad, 1933 (mainly Asian genus with one Neotropical species assigned to it).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIsotopes Environ Health Stud
July 2024
Societatea Națională de Speologie, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Heliyon
June 2024
College of Information and Cyber Security, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing, 100038, China.
Sci Rep
April 2024
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
This comprehensive study examines fossil remains from Niedźwiedzia Cave in the Eastern Sudetes, offering detailed insights into the palaeobiology and adversities encountered by the Pleistocene cave bear Ursus spelaeus ingressus. Emphasising habitual cave use for hibernation and a primarily herbivorous diet, the findings attribute mortality to resource scarcity during hibernation and habitat fragmentation amid climate shifts. Taphonomic analysis indicates that the cave was extensively used by successive generations of bears, virtually unexposed to the impact of predators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Ecol Evol
March 2024
Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Recent excavations at Ranis (Germany) identified an early dispersal of Homo sapiens into the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago. Here we integrate results from zooarchaeology, palaeoproteomics, sediment DNA and stable isotopes to characterize the ecology, subsistence and diet of these early H. sapiens.
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