Ice-age humans stabbed a cave bear through the head 35,000 years ago. Researchers just found the damaged skull.

Aylin WoodwardJun 24, 2021, 18:22 IST

A small cave bear skull (left) and an arrowhead discovered in Russia's Imanay Cave.Ural Federal University

Paleontologists discovered the 35,000-year-old skull of a small cave bear in a Russian cave.
The skull had a distinct, oblong hole in it. A recent study suggests human hunters were to blame - they most likely stabbed the animal in the head while it hibernated.
Although previous research has shown that humans targeted other types of cave bears, this is the first evidence that they hunted small cave bears during the last ice age.
However, it's possible that ice-age humans stabbed the bear after it had already died as part of a ritual.

During the Paleolithic era 35,000 years ago, a small cave bear settled into a cave to hibernate. It never woke up.

Paleontologist Dmitry Gimranov handles a cave bear skull he helped discover in Russia's Imanay Cave. Ural Federal University

The researchers found the skull during a three-year excavation of the cave, known as Imanay, in a remote part of the southern Ural mountains in Russia. It had a distinct, oblong hole in its side more than an inch long.

A small cave bear skull found in the Imanay Cave in Bashkiria, Russia. Gimranov et al. 2021

The researchers found the skull during a three-year excavation of the cave, known as Imanay, in a remote part of the southern Ural mountains in Russia. It had a distinct, oblong hole in its side more than an inch long.

An analysis of the bear's teeth suggested it died in the winter - which is why paleontologists think it was killed while hibernating.

Paleontologist Dmitry Gimranov handles the skull of a small cave bear he found in Russia. Ural Federal University / Elizaveta Veretennikova

The skull hole shows no signs of healing, which suggests the wound happened around the time of the bear's death.

An example of an arrowhead mounted on a spear shaft, a weapon that could have killed a cave bear. Ural Federal University

Gimranov's team didn't find an arrowhead or spear lodged in the cave bear's head, but they did find a piece of flint sharpened to a point in the same layer of cave sediment.

An example of an arrowhead that could have pierced a cave bear's skull. Ural Federal University

Gimranov's team didn't find an arrowhead or spear lodged in the cave bear's head, but they did find a piece of flint sharpened to a point in the same layer of cave sediment.

Both small and large cave bears - two different species - dwelled in their namesake abodes across Eurasia during the last ice age.

A small cave bear skull discovered in the Ural mountains of Russia. The black arrowhead to its left may have been used to kill the bear. Ural Federal University / Elizaveta Veretennikova

Beyond the skull, Gimranov's team found more than 10,000 bones in Imanay Cave - from foxes, mammoths, cave lions, woolly rhinos, and other small cave bears.

Paleontologist Dmitry Gimranov and his colleagues explore Imanay Cave in Bashkiria, Russia. Ural Federal University

So if the hunters at Imanay Cave didn't eat their ursine prey, it's possible they stumbled across the bear after it had died, then stabbed it as part of an ancient ritual.

Paleontologist Dmitry Gimranov collects samples from inside Imanay Cave. Ural Federal University

So if the hunters at Imanay Cave didn't eat their ursine prey, it's possible they stumbled across the bear after it had died, then stabbed it as part of an ancient ritual.

Small cave bears resembled modern-day brown bears in size. They were common across what is now western Europe, and the Ural and Caucus mountains in Russia.

A reconstruction of a European cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). Wikimedia Commons

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Ice-age humans stabbed a cave bear through the head 35,000 years ago. Researchers just found the damaged skull.

During the Paleolithic era 35,000 years ago, a small cave bear settled into a cave to hibernate. It never woke up.

The researchers found the skull during a three-year excavation of the cave, known as Imanay, in a remote part of the southern Ural mountains in Russia. It had a distinct, oblong hole in its side more than an inch long.

An analysis of the bear's teeth suggested it died in the winter - which is why paleontologists think it was killed while hibernating.

The skull hole shows no signs of healing, which suggests the wound happened around the time of the bear's death.

Gimranov's team didn't find an arrowhead or spear lodged in the cave bear's head, but they did find a piece of flint sharpened to a point in the same layer of cave sediment.

Both small and large cave bears - two different species - dwelled in their namesake abodes across Eurasia during the last ice age.

Beyond the skull, Gimranov's team found more than 10,000 bones in Imanay Cave - from foxes, mammoths, cave lions, woolly rhinos, and other small cave bears.

So if the hunters at Imanay Cave didn't eat their ursine prey, it's possible they stumbled across the bear after it had died, then stabbed it as part of an ancient ritual.

Small cave bears resembled modern-day brown bears in size. They were common across what is now western Europe, and the Ural and Caucus mountains in Russia.