Middle Pleistocene Ursus thibetanus (Mammalia, Carnivora) from Kudaro caves in the Caucasus

G.F. Baryshnikov

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2010, 314(1): 67–79 · https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2010.314.1.67

Full text

Abstract

A comparison of fossil teeth of Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) from the Middle Pleistocene layers of Kudaro 1 Cave and Kudaro 3 Cave with those from other Caucasian and West European localities showed a marked morphological similarity, allowing the studied material to be referred to the subspecies U. t. mediterraneus. This fossil subspecies is distinguished from the recent subspecies U. thibetanus by its larger tooth size. The morphology of the metapodial bones from the Kudaro Caves suggests that during the Middle Pleistocene in the Caucasus the Asian black bear led an arboreal mode of life.

Key words

Caucasus, Kudaro caves, Middle Pleistocene, Paleolithic sites, Ursus

Submitted December 22, 2009 · Accepted February 25, 2010 · Published March 25, 2010

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