A foraging teenager was mauled by a bear 27,000 years ago, skeleton shows

"We have little physical evidence of these interactions turning violent, however, because burials were rare and carnivores were more likely to finish off their prey. That's why the embellished burial site of a 15-year-old from 27,000 years ago is an important window into the past: the teenager's bones indicate he was mauled by a bear. The finding represents some of the first evidence of its kind."

"The remains of the boy, nicknamed Il Principe (The Prince) because of the bounty found in his burial site, was first uncovered in 1942 in the Arene Candide Cave in Italy. Though scientists first speculated that his death was caused by an animal attack, the claims were never investigated until recently, when researchers reanalyzed the lesions and traumatic injuries using a technique called optic magnification."

"The researchers concluded that lesions on the boy's skull and ankle were bite and claw marks, likely from a cave or brown bear, based on their patterns. He was probably a budding hunter still learning his skills when this happened, says lead study author Vitale Stefano Sparacello, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cagliari in Italy. The findings were published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences."

Il Principe, a 15-year-old buried with grave goods in Arene Candide Cave in Italy, shows skeletal evidence of a lethal animal attack. The remains were first uncovered in 1942 and the embellished burial provides rare direct evidence of violent interactions between humans and megafauna. Reanalysis of lesions and traumatic injuries using optic magnification identified bite and claw marks on the skull and ankle consistent with a cave or brown bear. The animal dislodged the mandible, left a groove in the skull, broke the clavicle, left a bite mark on the right ankle, and fractured the left pinky toe. The pattern and distribution of injuries suggest a fatal mauling.

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