Isotopic evidence for omnivory among European cave bears: Late Pleistocene Ursus spelaeus from the Peştera cu Oase, Romania.
Previous bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotopic studies of Late Pleistocene European cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) have shown that these bears frequently had low nitrogen isotope values, similar to those of herbivores and indicating either unusual physiology related to hibernation or a herbivorous diet. Isotopic analysis of animal bone from the Peştera cu Oase (Cave with Bones), Romania, shows that most of its cave bears had higher nitrogen isotope values than the associated herbivores and were, therefore, omnivorous. The Oase bears are securely identified as cave bears by both their morphology and DNA sequences. Although many cave bear populations may have behaved like herbivores, the Oase isotopic data demonstrate that cave bears were capable of altering their diets to become omnivores or even carnivores. These data therefore broaden the dietary profile of U. spelaeus and raise questions about the nature of the carnivore guild in Pleistocene Europe.
Richards
Michael P
MP
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Pacher
Martina
M
Stiller
Mathias
M
Quilès
Jérôme
J
Hofreiter
Michael
M
Constantin
Silviu
S
Zilhão
João
J
Trinkaus
Erik
E
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D010161:Paleodontology / Q000379:methods; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods; D012383:Romania; D001503:Ursidae / Q000502:physiology*
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D004247:DNA