First Finding of Etruscan Bear (Ursus etruscus, Ursidae, Carnivora) in the Crimea (Taurida Cave, Early Pleistocene).

First Finding of Etruscan Bear (Ursus etruscus, Ursidae, Carnivora) in the Crimea (Taurida Cave, Early Pleistocene).
Dokl Biol Sci. 2020 Mar;491(1):35-38
Authors: Gimranov DO, Lavrov AV, Startsev DB, Tarasenko KK, Lopatin AV
Abstract
A fragment of a bear skull with partially preserved dentition is descibed from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Taurida cave (Crimea). The presence of P1-P3, the structure of P4, and sizes of the cheek teeth enable the identification of the specimen as Ursus etruscus Cuvier, 1823. The new find is the first in Crimea and the entire Russia and is of great interest due to rarity of this species in the Pleistocene of Eastern Europe.
PMID: 32483704 [PubMed - in process]

Source: Doklady Biological Sciences - February 29, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: Gimranov DO, Lavrov AV, Startsev DB, Tarasenko KK, Lopatin AV Tags: Dokl Biol Sci Source Type: research