Fossil Brown Bears of Slovakia

Abstract

[Abstract] The fossil remains of bears are very frequently found in the karst sediments of the Western Carpathians. Besides cave bears, two taxa of fossil brown bears (Ursus tauba -chensis, Ursus arctos priscus) have been present in the Slovak territory during the Late Pleistocene Period too. Recent European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is appearing in the Western Carpathians Mountains at the beginning of the Holocene or already at the end of the Pleistocene Period respectively. So far, osteological remains of arctoid bears have been described from 23 Slovak localities. The most frequently, these remains belong to the taxon Ursus arctos ssp. or to the recent subspecies Ursus arctos arctos. The fossil findings of brown bears from the Late Pleistocene are less frequent.