Het 12de Internationale Grottenbeer Symposium in Macedonië, Griekenland. Een verslag van enkele deelnemers. De langste slagtanden ter wereld!

The 12th International Cave Bear Symposium (ICBS) was organised in Aridéa/Loutrá, District Pella, Macedonia, Greece on 2-5 November 2006. Its purpose is to enhance the exchange of information on the progress of cave bear research and associated fauna. Three members of the WPZ, Dick Mol, Charlie Schouwenburg and Wilrie van Logchem participated in the event. Prior to the event they visited several Pliocene and Pleistocene paleontological collections, with as highlights, the remains of two pairs of the largest fossil tusks, today known to belong to the Pliocene mastodont Mammut borsoni, found in Milia, West Macedonia. One set measures 4.39 meters in length. The other, still in situ, is about 4.98 meters long. The available fossil bones allow for an accurate reconstruction of the animal by Remie Bakker. Other noteworthy highlights were, firstly, a partial skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant (Elephas antiquus) in Grevena. It was discovered that this specimen was missing its thumbs, which appears not to be uncommon for these proboscidean genera. Furthermore, the ’Elephant of Perdikas’ is stored in situ, in a building specially built for that purpose. It has been incorrectly identified as Mammuthus meridionalis as it turns out to be Elephas antiquus. It has been recommended to improve on its conservation. After the presentations of the Symposium, the Agios Georgios Cave in Kilkis was visited, which is housing a wealth of a Late Pleistocene fauna. It is hypothesised that this cave used to be a hyena den.