Cave bear's diet: a new hypothesis based on stable isotopes

Abstract

[Abstract] The Ursus spelaeus diet has always been a controversial topic in Paleontology. Both, morphometric and isotopic studies, have raised the hypothesis of herbivorism for this extinct ursid that belongs to the order Carnivora. However, the specific composition of its diet is still in doubt. In this paper, and dealing with stables isotopes of 1 3C and 1 5 N in bone collagen, we point out the possibility of Ursus spelaeus feeding basically on nitrogen fixing plants, because of its low δ1 5 N signature, the lowest one among the published data from other Pleistocene herbivores.