Ancient Bear Bones Were Found In The Aleutian Islands, And It’s Been A Mystery As To How They Got There Since Bears Never Lived On Those Islands
During the early 2000s, ancient bear bones belonging to brown bears and polar bears were found in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, more specifically, the Unalaska and Amaknak Islands. However, it was a mystery as to how the bones got there since bears have never lived on those islands.
From carbon dating, scientists concluded that the bones of the brown bears are between 3,000 and 5,500 years old, while the polar bear bones are about 5,500 years old.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have been toying with the theory that people brought bear carcasses to the islands as a source of food.
Unangan ancestors were known to have traveled long distances for hunting trips and trading, so the scenario is a possibility.
The sites where the bones were discovered were once used by the Unangax people for dumping grounds.
The Unangax were a group of indigenous people who lived on the Aleutian Islands. Researchers have spoken with Unangax elders in an effort to gain further insight into the presence of the bear bones on the islands.
Many of the locals believed that the bears had been transported there after hunting trips or through trade networks.
Oral tradition suggests that people brought bear meat to the islands from Unimak thousands of years ago. Unimak was a neighboring island that actually contained a population of bears during that time.
Furthermore, a femur bone belonging to a bear fetus was among the findings. Experts think that the presence of a fetus indicates that butchering might have taken place in Unalaska.
pipehorse – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only
There are no historical records to confirm the existing theories, but they do provide a starting point for researchers as they continue trying to uncover more clues about the origins of the bear bones.
Their next steps are to analyze deep DNA sequence data from the bear bones in order to figure out which modern-day bears the ancient animals are most closely related to.
The initial data they extracted was exceptionally well-preserved, so hopefully, a deeper analysis can provide even more information. The researchers plan to return to Unalaska to share any newfound knowledge with the community.
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