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Comparative-evolutional analysis of cave bear metapodial bones from North-western Croatia

The metapodial bones are the most numerous and preserved elements of cave bear postcranial part of skeleton on North-western Croatian Pleistocene sites. Research was performed on total 3195 metapodial bones, 234 from Krapina, 482 from Veternica, 2054 from Vindija and 425 from Velika pećina. This fossil material is stored in collection of Institute of Paleontology and Quaternary Geology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and in collection of Department of Geology and Paleontology, Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb. Research of cave bear metapodial bones include determination of bone position and measurement of parameters (linear measures). Comparison was performed on the base of K index, which was calculated according to formula: K=(mlw x apw)/ml where is mlw - medio-lateral width of proximal part, apw - antero-posterior width of proximal part, ml - maximal length of metapodial bone. In consideration of stratigraphic span of Veternica and Velika pećina sites (Riss-Würm to Holocene) and Krapina (Riss-Würm to Würm 2), as well as unknown of bone stratigraphic position within this span, data for this sites were undivided. Data for Vindija cave were divided in two groups, conformably to division of sediments in two layer complexes M-L and K-D. Comparison of calculated K indices indicate the closeness of the average values for Krapina, Veternica, Velika pećina and K-D layer complex of Vindija cave. The average values of K indices for M-L layer complex of Vindija cave were different, e.g. constant lower. On the base of this comparative analysis, two statistical different groups were separated. The results of comparative analysis of calculated K indices, performed on cave bear metapodial bones from North-western Croatian Pleistocene sites, showed the difference in features between the population of typical Upper Pleistocene form of cave bear (Krapina, Veternica, Velika pećina and higher K-D layer complex of Vindija cave) and the cave bear population from lower M-L layer complex of Vindija cave. Those results confirm the hypothesis of existence the cave bears with some deningeroid features in lower layers of Vindija cave. This hypothesis was established previously, on the base of tooth morphometrical features.

cave bear; metapodial bones; comparative-evolutional analysis; Pleistocene; North-western Croatia

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