The Breck Smith Cave Polar Bear Fossil, Kentucky

[markgelbart]

A cave in Kentucky yielded fossils of a polar bear assumed to be of Pleistocene age.

The fossils are now lost.

I suspect the geologist who identified the fossils was mistaken, and they are of a grizzly bear instead.

Grizzly bear fossils have been found in Kentucky as well.

markgelbart.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/a-polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-fossil-in-breck-smith-cave-kentucky/

[grrraaahhh]

Dec 16, 2012 5:30:44 GMT -9 markgelbart said:

A cave in Kentucky yielded fossils of a polar bear assumed to be of Pleistocene age.

The fossils are now lost.

I suspect the geologist who identified the fossils was mistaken, and they are of a grizzly bear instead.

Grizzly bear fossils have been found in Kentucky as well.

markgelbart.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/a-polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-fossil-in-breck-smith-cave-kentucky/

Welcome to the forum. This is the first time I have heard anything about the Kentucky fossil. Thank you for sharing the story (nice blog). I agree with you, I suspect the fossil was misidentified and likely is a grizzly/brown bear specimen. The fossil record for brown bear this far eastern USA is IIRC, limited making this find very interesting.