Ancient Cave Bears Were As Omnivorous As Modern Bears

Science Daily ^ | 1-8-2008 | Washington University in St. Louis.

[blam]

Ancient Cave Bears Were As Omnivorous As Modern Bears

Female cave bear skull from the Pestera cu Oase. Studies of the bones and teeth of cave bears, and especially the nitrogen isotopes in their bone protein, have concluded that they were largely vegetarian. (Credit: Academia Romana / Erik Trinkaus)

ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — Rather than being gentle giants, new research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary large carnivores of the time: hyaenas, lions, wolves, and our own human ancestors.

Cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) have long fascinated paleontologists and anthropologists, given the abundance of their large skeletal remains in Pleistocene hibernation caves across western Eurasia. For the past 30 years, studies of their bones and teeth, and especially the nitrogen isotopes in their bone protein, have concluded that they were largely vegetarian.

The interpretation of them as vegetarian has evoked an image of gentle giants, feeding on berries and roots. However, new nitrogen isotope data from the Pe_tera cu Oase in southwestern Romania shows otherwise.

Although many of these cave bears appear to have been largely vegetarian, the Oase bears and scattered individuals from other cave sites show that they were sometimes as omnivorous as modern brown bears, including North American Kodiak and grizzly bears.

The study was conducted by an international group of researchers including Michael Richards of the Max Planck Institute and Erik Trinkaus of Washington University in St. Louis.

Journal reference: Richards, M.P., Pacher, M., Stiller, M., Quilès, J., Hofreiter, M., Constantin, S., Zilhão, J., Trinkaus, E. (2008) Isotopic evidence for omnivory among European cave bears: Late Pleistocene Ursus spelaeus from the Pe_tera cu Oase, Romania. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, online January 7, (in press).

Adapted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[SERKIT]

But, did the Ancient Omnivorous Cave Bears produce feces in the forest? Now THERE’S an icky mouthful!

[rfp1234]

Bears Repeating.

[rfp1234]

Modern bears have it easy.

[NonValueAdded]

Picnic baskets were pretty scarce, though. Sorry, proto-yogi

[fish hawk]

Ayla and I were just discussing this the other night.

[edcoil]

So they have never evolved but man did?

[blam]

"Ayla and I were just discussing this the other night. "

Yup, me too. She told me as she yawned and rolled over to sleep.

[Does so]

I'm thinking that Early Man had the same sense of awe that us Moderns have of bears. Neat critters.

Not too much info around on the "Dog-Bear" of the Pleistocene.

[fish hawk]

My tribe calls the bear “Auntie” and believe that she gave us our medicines. (herbs and things that heal the sick) We cannot wear anything with bear claws on it in our ceremonial dances.

[gigster]

That would be “Man-Bear-Pig”. Let’s get it straight!

[org.whodat]

Does that mean that they would have eaten people more slowly?

[RightWhale]

In the pipeline construction camps bears got into the barracks more than once. One worker went to the shower room in the morning, saw a black bear in the room and decided to go to breakfast first and shower later.

[blam]

The Significance of the Bear Ritual Among the Sami and Other Northern Cultures

[TASMANIANRED]

Why would anyone think that an animal with huge canines could be a vegetarian.

[Mike Darancette]

Scientists were surprised by the large number of Paleolithic Picnic Baskets this bear had seemed to gather.

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Blam. Wow, that caption: Studies of the bones and teeth of cave bears, and especially the nitrogen isotopes in their bone protein, have concluded that they were largely vegetarian. Is contrary to the story. Probably some vegan dillhole. Rather than being gentle giants, new research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary large carnivores of the time: hyaenas, lions, wolves, and our own human ancestors... the Oase bears and scattered individuals from other cave sites show that they were sometimes as omnivorous as modern brown bears, including North American Kodiak and grizzly bears. The study was conducted by an international group of researchers including Michael Richards of the Max Planck Institute and Erik Trinkaus of Washington University in St. Louis. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[decimon]

Awwww. I would walk right up and hug that cub.

[CholeraJoe]

Darryl Hannah is just so weird. She always seems to play a character that not quite all there.