Cave bear tracks (Ursichnus europaeus Diedrich, 2011) from Honseca Cave, Palencia, Spain

Abstract

References to ichnofossils attributed to ursids are scarce in the literature and only two ichnogenera attributed to ursids have been described: Platykopus Sarjeant, Reynolds and Kissell-Jones, 2002 and Ursichnus Diedrich, 2011. In contrast, tracks informally attributed to Late Pleistocene cave bears (Ursus spelaeus Rossenmüller and Heinroth, 1794) are frequent in European caves. However, their formal descriptions are extremely scarce; the only exception is the rich ichnocenosis from Urşilor Cave (Romania), the type locality of the ichnotaxon Ursichnus europaeus Diedrich. The Honseca Cave in northern Spain, contains a set of plantigrade pentadactyle tracks, which represent the first record of Ursichnus europaeus from a cave in the Iberian Peninsula. Although distinguishing cave bear from brown bear tracks is complex, cave bears are considered the most likely tracemakers in Honseca.