Preliminary study of two exquisitely preserved cave bear cubs from the Late Pleistocene of “Tecchia Preistorica” (Tuscany, Italy)

The “Tecchia Preistorica” (Equi Terme, Massa–Carrara Province) is a cave of great palaeontological and archaeological relevance that opens in the northern sector of the Apuan Alps (Tuscany, Italy). Abundant faunal remains have been collected from this cave, being mostly represented by late Pleistocene (MIS3) mammals. In 2014, two extremely small skeletons of cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) were collected from a single stratigraphic horizon at the Tecchia Preistorica. Both specimens (hereinafter, Cub 1 and Cub 2) exhibit an excellent state of preservation. Cub 1 includes the skull, which preserves an undeformed three-dimensional morphology and is still connected to the cervical vertebrae. The cervical and thoracic vertebrae and the partially ossified ribs are fully articulated. The 23-mm-long scapulae, a 33-mm-long humerus and a tibia are also preserved. Cub 2 features the thoracic cage and part of the vertebral column. Preserved parts of the forelimbs consist of both the 31-mm-long humeri, ulnae and radii, plus a 25-mm-long scapula. Many anatomical traits of Cub 1 and Cub 2 reveal a very young age at death, including vertebrae that are not fully ossified and the missing epiphyses of the long bones. Cub 1 is edentulous, and its skull displays open fontanelles and unfused cranial sutures. By comparing the measurements of the scapulae and long bones of both cubs to the values reported in literature for early juvenile individuals of cave bear from other sites of central Europe, an age at death of less than a week was estimated. Cub 1 and Cub 2 did likely belong to the same litter. These cave bear cubs may have died from malnutrition a few days after their birth, similar to what happens to many modern bear cub