Differenze morfologiche e morfometriche nei crani di Ursus spelaeus e Ursus arctos

Abstract

The paper examines twelve cranial characters that are considered as diagnostic in distinguishing Ursus spelaeus ROSENMÙLLER & HEINROTH, 1784 from Ursus arctos LINNAEUS, 1758. The authors mention other characters which are either less uniform or recognizable only through biometrical comparisons, and consider them useful for the separation of the two species. Ursus arctos marsicanus ALTOBELLO, 1921 shows apomorphies that may resemble U. spelaeus, but a critical study shows that this subspecies is morphologically linked to U. arctos of Pleistocene age.