THE FIRST DIRECTLY DATED CAVE BEAR FROM THE COVOLI DI VELO CAVE (VERONA PROVINCE, VENETO, NORTHERN ITALY) WITH SOME DISCUSSION OF ITALIAN ALPS CAVE BEARS.

Absolute dates of cave bears from Northern Italy are rare. The first radiocarbon date from Covoli di Velo Cave (Verona Province, Veneto, N. Italy) from a cave bear first phalanx is reported; its value is 29,130 ± 0.90 14C yr BP. The date, combined with morphological features of dentition suggest that cave bear populations that lived in Northern Italy were relatively underived compared to other European populations, hinting at patters of migration. Comparison of dental morphology suggest that the Covoli di Velo bear is Ursus spelaeus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]