Cráneo y mandíbula de Ursus deningeri

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This ensemble, comprising the skull and lower jaw of a specimen of Ursus deningeri Von Reichenau, was discovered in the Santa Isabel cave, in Ranero (Valle de Carranza, in the western part of Vizcaya). Its excellent state of preservation makes it one of the most interesting pieces in the collections of the Archaeological Museum of Bizkaia, in Bilbao. This extinct species of bear is considered the ancestor of the cave bear (Ursus spalaeus), with which it shares many morphological characteristics. It was endemic to Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch, from 1.8 million years ago until its extinction around 100,000 BP. In the Iberian Peninsula, the largest number of remains of this species have been excavated in the Sima de los Huesos of Atapuerca. Some of them were found in the same context as human remains. The detailed study of the molars and metatarsals from the Santa Isabel cave has revealed that they belong to the same species, although with some slightly more evolved characteristics.