Jaw of a cave bear

myminifactory

In the late 1980’s a palaeontologist discovered for the first time, remains of a cave bear in the region of the Dolomites. This discovery was a breaking point in the history of the Alps. This in fact, helped with the identification of the different ice ages on the Dolomites, it helped to confirm how the glacial periods in the Alps happened in much closer timeframe than originally thought. It was discovered that the cave bear was an active species in the Dolomites between the glacial periods. For this and other reasons, it was nicknamed the King of the Dolomites. The bear weighted an average of 500 Kg and it was the biggest animal in the Alpine area at its time. Named cave bear for its very well known habit of spending the cold winter in the Dolomite’s caves. This femur represents one of the many findings in  the area, many more are exhibited at MUSE, Museo delle scienze in Trento. Mandibola Orso Speleo 7890 - Jaw of a Cave Bear from Trentino scanned at MUSE, Trento.