Stone Age teenager was mauled by a bear 28,000 years ago, skeletal analysis confirms

live science ^ | Kristina Killgrove

[BenLurkin]

When the Prince was found more than 80 years ago, excavators immediately suspected he had suffered a significant traumatic event around the time of his death because of widespread damage to the bones of his left shoulder area, neck and lower jaw. But no official analysis of the skeleton was ever published, and the Prince's body was reassembled, glued together and put on display in the Ligurian Archaeological Museum shortly after World War II.

Recently, the researchers obtained permission from the museum to remove bones from the display one at a time so that they could look at them under magnification. They also took photographs and made 3D surface models of some of the bones.

After carefully analyzing the images, the researchers concluded that the young teenage forager had suffered massive shoulder and facial trauma around the time of his death, just as the original excavators had suggested. But their analysis also revealed damage that pointed to a bear attack.

One linear mark on the left side of the boy's skull, found underneath the cap of shells, measured 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) long. It occurred around the time of his death, and its shape is consistent with a claw swipe. And on the boy's right ankle, the researchers found a teardrop-shaped depression that also occurred around the time of his death and was made by a cone-shaped object such as a tooth.

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TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: ancientautopsies; godsgravesglyphs; paleolithic

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Those “teens.” Been at it for millennia, just mauling around.

Since counting had not been invented back in those days, was he really a “teenager.” After all, “time” just a modern, white, patriarchical, CIS normative construct.

[RummyChick]

If he had only had that crazy six needler CO2 gun. They make it with glow in dark darts . Banned in UK and Germany

[marktwain]

Bears are bad neighbors. It was common knowledge up to roughly 50 years ago.

Even in societies which venerated bears, they were known to be very dangerous.

[RummyChick]

Here is the crazy weapon. First 15 seconds has all you need to know
https://youtu.be/OCFtasCy7Ag?si=i9nKZg4Vg6ASsTwW

[Salvavida]

He was returning from a rock concert.

[faithhopecharity]

for a moment I thought this “stone aged teenager” might have been me

(having been yelle at by a park ranger for sharing a Hostess Twinkee to a Yellowstone bear, back in the Paleolithic Age when I was a teenager)

I guess the ranger was some kind of health food nut?
smiles smiles
anyway, the bear was happy, liked it
smiles

(yes I know, no lectures needed I am a bit wiser with age thank you) smiles

[combat_boots]

A Twinkee

Well, as long as you’re not one. ;/

[faithhopecharity]

smiles
smiles

Yogi loved the Twinkee
Yogi didn’t like the ranger screaming at him, however
smiles
smiles

[RummyChick]

I have to find a weapon that can stop attacking loose dogs so have been watching bear videos. The byrna co2 weapon seems to work on bears

[PGR88]

He was returning from a rock concert.

The kid was high, and his friends egged him on to make a selfie cave-painting with the bear

[SunkenCiv]

Ow.

Thanks BenLurkin.

[rlmorel]

Couldn’t find a tree tall enough or quickly enough...

[rlmorel]

One of my favorite stories is from the Stephen Ambrose book “Undaunted Courage”. (I think, but it has been a while since I read it)

He talks about the Lewis and Clark expedition, and when they went further west, they began to encounter enormous grizzly bears, the likes of which they had never seen. I don’t doubt this, because being the apex predator that they are, they had probably grown to enormous sizes without a lot of interference from humans.

They made it clear to the Indians who befriended them that they were going to go out and hunt these bears, the Indians were astonished and alarmed, and communicated to them in every way possible (quite vehemently) that doing so was an extremely risky and foolhardy endeavor. Apparently, they couldn’t believe these white people were crazy enough to do that.

Lewis and Clark were “undaunted” by the admonitions, and made it clear that they were perfectly confident because of the advanced weaponry that they carried with them, that the Indians did not have… their rifles. (I read where they had special air-powered rifles...I wonder if that factored into the way this turned out)

I imagine that if I were there, I could just see the Indians turning to each other and shrugging their shoulders, saying the equivalent of “Well, I guess it’s their ass…these white people are crazy.”

When they came across a particularly large specimen of these grizzly bears by the side of a river, they set upon it and begin shooting it. The way the story goes as I recall, at one point there were 12 guys firing away with these black powder guns, and ended up throwing down their guns and running into the river to try to escape while this massive grizzly bear chased after them into the water.

I do believe that there was illustration that one of the party had drawn of this incident at the time, and it showed a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs in the middle of a large spread out ring of frontiersmen all firing their weapons in what looked for all intents and purposes like a circular firing squad, except that all their rifles were pointed up at what looked to be at least a 45° angle. The bear, standing erect on its hind legs, with the perspective of the amateur artist looked to be, oh, say, 30 feet tall, with both of its forepaws straight up in the air with claws extended! I think I’ve always been surprised that the artist didn’t make the bear appear to be 100 feet tall, rivaling Godzilla…

What was really funny though, was the dry log entry by one of the guys that basically said “We decided to avoid encountering those types of beasts in the future…”

It reminded me of the other entry later on their journey, when they reached the Columbia River. Now anyone who pays attention to these things knows that the Columbia River in those days was a particularly wild River, so when Lewis and Clark made it clear to the Native Americans out in that area that they intended to take their funny looking (funny looking to the Indians at least) wooden boats down the river, the Indians again must’ve looked at each other in astonishment and said “These pale faced white people are absolutely insane…”

Sure enough, on the day went down the river, there were hundreds and hundreds of Indians lining both sides of the river to watch the spectacle of these white guys completely destroy themselves… it promised to be a real show. This has to be one of the times though, where Lewis and Clark really did know what they were doing, and the Indians were extremely impressed and again, astonished in a positive way, that these guys in their buckskins and funny looking wooden boats actually made it down the boiling white water river.

[rlmorel]

Hahahahahahahaha...good post...reminds me of this excellent cartoon:

[Ezekiel]

28,000 year paws. A lot of good it does Prince’s family now.

Autopsy delayed ursa autopsy denied.

[SunkenCiv]

This *may* explain the laughing bear on the cover of “My Son the Nut”.

[okay, admittedly, this may require a little explanation, so here’s just a little; “Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh”]

https://i.etsystatic.com/12941269/r/il/d3e09c/3663769754/il_794xN.3663769754_hchc.jpg

[Clay Moore]

Was this caused by global warming, racism, or Trump?

[x]

Just mauled, or did he get the full DiCaprio?

[Leaning Right]

I’m sick and tired of violent, bullying animals.
I say hunt down this rogue bear and kill it!

Oh, wait. I just noticed that this happened 28,000 years ago.
Sorry. Never mind. The bear is probably already dead.

🫢