Morphometry of the limb bones of the Ursus spelaeus ROSENMÜLLER, 1794 from

A morphological and morphometrical study on Ursus spelaeus ROSENMÜLLER, 1794 limb bone remains from the Delle Streghe Cave (Sambughetto Valstrona, Piedmont Region, North Italy) is presented. Some of the fossils were affected by pathologies (periarthritis and pseudoarthrosis) and by traces of predatory activities. In several cases correspondence between meaningful parameters have permitted sexual differentiation and the singling out of at least two populations of different body size and probably different chronologies. They are compared to bears from both the Grotta Sopra Fontana Marella (Varese, Lombardy), and the Buco dellʼOrso Cave (Laglio, Lombardy). Key word