Taxonomic position of the brown bear Ursus arctos remains from Niedźwiedzia Cave (Silesia, SW Poland) and the problem of extreme species morphological variability

Abstract

Abundant and well preserved fossil material from Niedźwiedzia Cave documents the presence of two different subspecies of Ursus arctos: the Late Pleistocene Ursus arctos taubachensis and the Holocene Ursus arctos arctos. Apart from a few bones of the Holocene age, the vast majority of the material is dated to MIS 3 and represents large individuals of robust posture, typical of the cold phases of the Late Pleistocene. Ursus arctos taubachensis is a characteristic element of Late Pleistocene steppe-tundra faunas and was a highly carnivorous scavenger. Our analysis shows that some individuals from Niedźwiedzia Cave are among the largest ever found. Revision of the characters distinguishing these two subspecies of Ursus arctos shows the equal importance of metrical and morphological features. Apart the larger size and wider teeth, the main feature is the more robust build of Ursus arctos taubachensis, especially of the metapodials. For the highly mobile Ursus arctos, DNA is shown to be less important in the determination of subspecies when dealing with the material from the Central European sites.