A CAVE BEAR SKULL SECTION SHOWING ALTERATION LIKELY MADE BY NEANDERTHALS FROM THE PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS OF AURISINA CAVE IN ITALY

A partial skull section of a cave bear Ursus spelaeus, recovered from the Aurisina Cave, Italy shows alteration including cut marks made by stone tools and the detachment of the upper portion of the brain case indicating likely Neanderthal cultural use of the skull. Interactions between Neanderthals and cave bears have been suggested historically but most cases reported have been shown to be mistaken or fabricated. This may well be a rare example of direct use of a cave bear skull by Neanderthals.