Prehistoric humans caused the extinction of the cave bear
Skeleton of an extinct cave bear (Wikipedia.org)
Humans drove the herbivorous bears that inhabited Europe to extinction about 24,000 years ago, according to a recent study that analyzed the animals' DNA.
The results published in the journal Scientific Reports indicate that the numbers of these bears began to witness a sharp decline about 40,000 years ago. This decline coincided with the spread of “anatomically modern Homo sapiens,” as it was called, in Europe and with the era that preceded extreme cold climates.
In this regard, the researchers wrote, “Our study supports the possibility that humans played a major role in the extinction of animals in general, and in the extinction of cave bears in Europe in particular. It also clarifies the fate of this type of large animal.”
In detail, researchers led by Verena Schuenemann from the Swiss University of Zurich and Herve Bucherens from the German University of Tübingen reconstituted 59 mitochondrial genomes (or mitochondrial genomes) from the bones of cave bears. They collected samples from 14 European sites in Switzerland, Poland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Serbia.
After that, the team compared those genomes, on the one hand, with 64 other mitochondrial genomes, the data of which had been published in previous studies, on the other hand, in an attempt to find out where different groups of cave bears lived, and how they migrated. During the late Pleistocene.
Accordingly, they identified five main lineages of mitochondrial DNA that arose from a common ancestor of these animals about 451,000 years ago and were distributed throughout Europe, indicating that the spread of the cave bear was more complex than previously thought.
Thus, cave bear populations remained relatively stable until about 40,000 years ago, including during two cold epochs and several other cold spells, scientists estimate.
Scientists say that given that the cold climate of the last ice age began later, after about 30,000 years, the results indicate the possibility that other factors may have played a significant role in the death of these animals, such as the hunting that humans resorted to. The study also shows that the extreme cold climate and subsequent decrease in the availability of plant food may have resulted in the overall bear population being divided into various sub-herds. Therefore, it is likely that they sought refuge in areas with milder climates and where different plants are more widespread.
Ultimately, by disrupting communication between cave bear subgroups, humans may have played a decisive role in the extinction of that species, according to the study.
Source: websites
Source: websites