The Upper Pleistocene brown bear (Carnivora, Ursidae) in the Zagros: Evidence from Wezmeh Cave, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract While bears (Ursidae) are well represented in Western Europe and the Caucasus during the Pleistocene, bear remains from this period are rare in Southwest Asia. Only a limited number of sites, both natural and archaeological, have yielded evidence of brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758). Skeletal remains for this species are often represented by a limited number of elements. The discovery of 192 remains identified as brown bear in Wezmeh Cave (Kermanshah Province, Iran) is exceptional. This paper presents a detailed description of the Wezmeh osteological assemblage, which confirms that U. arctos was already present in Zagros during the Upper Pleistocene.