View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Repositorio da Universidade da Coruña Cadernos Lab. Xeolóxico de Laxe ISSN: 0213-4497 Coruña. 2001. Vol. 26, pp. 365-371 The Evolution of Metapodial Bones in the Cave Bear Group and its biostratigraphical Implications La evolución de los metápodos en el grupo del Oso de las Cavernas y sus implicaciones bioestratigráficas WITHALM, G. AB S T R A C T A short description of the methods is followed by some central results obtained from the analyses of metapodial bones in the cave bear group from sites in Austria and Italy. The evolution of metapodials shows, in general, a tendency towards increasing plumpness, and backs the results obtained from the morphodynamic analyses of the teeth. Key words: evolution, metapodials, Ursus spelaeus, Ursus deningeri Institute of Paleontology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090, Vienna, AUSTRIA 366 WITHALM, G. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) INTRODUCTION Since the work done by TORRES (1988) and KUNST (1989) there was not too much attention drawn to the metapo- dial bones of Ursus spelaeus and its prede- cessor, Ursus deningeri. Torres tried to provide a range of cha- racters to differentiate U. spelaeus from U. deningeri and U. arctos as well as a general description and comparison of the skeletal elements of these animals, collected in sites from Spain. Kunst tried to use the metapodial bones to exemplify differences between several cave bear sites of Austria. RESULTS The current investigation is aimed at the evolutionary changes of the metapo- Figure 1. Measurements taken from metapo- dial bones throughout time by means of dials. Graphics: from TORRES (1988), altered. morphometrics. Therefore eight different measurements were taken and five indices were calculated from 4459 metapodial bones from U. spelaeus and U. deningeri Herdengel cave, Windener Bärenhöhle from eight different sites in Austria and and Gamssulzen cave. Italy. Basic statistical analysis was carried The measurements are: proximal out on this data set to see wether there is width and depth, smallest diaphyseal a possibility to sex a population or not, for width and depth, distal width and depth, comparison with the results from distal epicondyleal width and greatest OSWALD (1999). The obtained results length. The indices are: proximal area, are totally inhomogenous and so it is not smallest diaphyseal area, distal area, index possible to sex a cave bear fauna by means of robustness and K–index, the latter of metapodials. Further investigation sho- according to GUZVICA & RADANO- wed that there is a correlation between the VIC–GUZVICA (2000). index of robustness, the K–Index and the The sites from Austria and Italy are: smallest diaphyseal area and the stratigra- Hundsheimer Spalte, Repolust cave, phic position of the site. Therefore it is Schwabenreith cave, Ramesch cave, not only possible to predict the age of a Conturines cave (Southern Ty r o l ) , cave bear population by analysing the evo- CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) The evolution of metapodial bones 367 Figure 2. Map showing the distribution of the sites in Austria and Italy. lutionary level of the teeth, but also by the cave bears. At first this material was divi- analysis of the metapodial bones. ded into two parts corresponding to the Special attention was drawn to the strata and the result was astonishing. In analysis of the material from Ramesch contradiction to the results obtained from cave (Upper Austria), because of the long the other sites, that is a trend towards period of time this cave was inhabited by plumper metapodial bones with a gro- Figure 3. Development of metacarpus (left) and metatarsus (right). Please note the astonishing dif- ference between the populations from Hundsheimer Spalte and Repolust cave as well as the decli- ne towards Conturines cave. Abbreviations: HH- Hundsheimer Spalte, RE- Repolust cave, SW- Schwabenreith cave, CU- Conturines cave (Southern Tyrol, Italy), HD- Herdengel cave, RK- Ramesch cave, WI- Windener Barenhöehle, GS- Gamssulzen cave. 368 WITHALM, G. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) wing smallest diaphyseal area, there was a of the bears from Conturines cave, follo- decline in the mean of the evolutionary wed by those from Herdengel cave in level in the upper part of the profile for Lower Austria. Despite their age these most of the metapodial bones. This decli- bears are plumper than one would expect. ne in dimensions is a phenomenon, which The high position of the Herdengel cave is was discovered first by RABEDER (pers. an artefact, which is based upon the pre- comm.) when he analysed the evolution of dominance of young bears in the profile, the teeth from the profile of the Ramesch i.e. there are much more metapodial bones cave in relation to the strata. Now it beco- from the upper parts of the profile and the mes more and more evident, that this problem that there are not enough meta- trend is not only visible in the evolution of podial bones to split the material. Here it the teeth, but also in the evolution of is clearly visible that plumpness is the hands and feet of this cave bear popula- speciality of the Conturines bear whereas tion. We assume that the reason therefore the dimensions show a significant decline. is a climatic change towards colder condi- Figure 5 shows that there is neither an tions. This reversion of the normal trend obvious nor a hidden correlation between towards bigger and plumper bears implies average of the index of plumpness and the some problems, especially for the predic- altitude of the site, what could have been tion of geological age. But it seems not to a plausible assumption as well. be a general trend even if there seems to be Another interesting fact is the big dif- a similar trend in the profile of the ference between the bears from the Herdengel cave but this can be due to a Hundsheimer Spalte (Lower Austria) and lack of material. those of the Repolust cave in Styria. For In figure 4, left diagram, there is a very stratigraphic and skeletal features the interesting peak representing the position bears from the Hundsheimer Spalte are Figure 4. The left diagram shows the development of the overall index of plumpness. The right diagram shows the development of the smallest diaphyseal area. Abbreviations: HH- Hundsheimer Spalte, RE- Repolust cave, SW- Schwabenreith cave, CU- Conturines cave (Southern Tyrol, Italy), HD- Herdengel cave, RK- Ramesch cave, WI- Windener Barenhöehle, GS- Gamssulzen cave. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) The evolution of metapodial bones 369 Figure 5. Index of plumpness versus altitude of site, left and index of plumpness and sex, right. This diagram shows that there is obviously no correlation between the mean index of plumpness of a cave- or deninger bear population and the altitude of the site. There is no correlation betwe- en the index of plumpness and sex too. known as U. deningeri, but they do have to the species U. deningeri it should be nearly spelaeoid dimensions, and, in some used for the same purpose. But now it will cases, they become even bigger than nor- be Ursus deningeri "deningeroides" mal cave bears do. The dimensions of the Furthermore, a really tiny metatarsal 5 bears from the Hundsheimer Spalte differ was found in the material of the from the deninger-bears from Hundsheimer Spalte, which fits perfectly Repolusthöhle (Styria) in a range from 6 well into the range of robustness of Ursus % until 16,6 % ! These differences could arctos. But it is not only the plumpness, be sufficient to define a new species. The which is responsible for the difference to really small deninger bears from the those of the cave bear, it is also the mor- Repolust cave are so different, that it phology, showing all the features of a seems to be more correct to separate this modern brown bear. In respect to the age form the other deninger bears on the subs- of this site the metapodial in question is pecies level. I would like to suggest the described as Ursus cf. arctos, which is new usage of the old terminus "deningeroides", to the faunal list of this site as well as for which was introduced into literature by the Lower Pleistocene. Maria MOTTL (1947). She used this term Another very interesting cave is the to mark the peculiarities of this bear from Windener Baerenhöhle. There were two which she believed that it was a cave bear. different species of bears found: a big cave Now that it is clear that this bear belongs bear and a very big brown bear. These 370 WITHALM, G. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) bears do not differ in greatest length of the plumpness. We should take into account metapodial bones but in robustness and in the smaller dimensions of these animals in some morphological details of the diaphy- addition to their dental status and we have sis. The brown bear was determined by a combination that makes this bear uni- THENIUS (1956) and its name is U. arc - que. There is no doubt, that further inves- tos priscus. It inhabited this cave about 17 tigation in the Conturines bear will bring ky and was thus much younger than the more interesting results. In future it could cave bears. Further investigations, inclu- be possible to separate this bear taxonomi- ding new 14C-datings and DNA-Analyses cally as a new, persisting subspecies of U. will shed some more light on this big deningeri. See also RABEDER & NAGEL brown bear. (this volume). And last but not least there is the pro- blem of the bears from Conturines cave (Southern Tyrol, Italy) showing characters CONCLUSIONS from U.