The latest excavations carried out in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos) have discovered the skull of a bear that lived in this area almost a million years ago. In addition, among the finds are also remains of bison and flint tools of about 370,000 years old.
The skull of the animal found, belonging to the speciesbear dolinensis, will allow scientists to clarify the position of it in the evolutionary tree of bears. This species appears to be an intermediate step between cave bears (Ursus deningeri and Ursus spelaeus) and modern-day brown bears (Ursus Acts). In addition, the researchers hope to be able to compare the finding with other remains found in deposits on the continent, to see if the species was widespread throughout Eurasia or was endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
The animal has been found at level TD4 of the Gran Dolina, one of the Atapuerca sites where excavations have been carried out since the 1980s. “The bear used the caves to hibernate, in fact we have found hibernation activities and some clawing on the wall, but it did not compete directly with the carnivores“Jordi Rosell of the Rovira i Virgili University and the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution explained to SINC.
Other discoveries
The current excavation campaign ofAtapuerca, which ends on July 25 and is being carried out by the Atapuerca Research Team (EIA), has already left other important findings such as the remains of at least eight individuals from about 4,300 years ago in a collective tomb that has already been twelve bodies had been exhumed.Sometimes small offerings were deposited next to the bodies and in no case are marks of having been attacked by carnivores found, something that indicates that the inhabitants of Atapuerca closed the mouth of the sepulcher very well.
On the other hand, more bison remains have been found at a level of about 370,000 years old, and at that same time a practically exclusive use of flint has been verified. The use of this type of tool indicates a great technological specialization, something that had not been seen so far in any site dating from this time.
Photography: Jordi Rosell / SINC
