Paleontological features
During the archaeological excavations performed in the late 19th century, many bones were found in Upper Barać Cave, while the research conducted in 2013 confirmed the exceptional variety and value of these finds. A great amount of animal remains was extracted during the research, which were dated to the Pleistocene. The following species/groups were determined: cave bear, cave lion, wolf, fox/arctic fox, wild cat, rabbit/alpine rabbit, horse, aurochs/bison, rhinoceros, hyena, deer, roe, wild boar and micromammals, birds and frogs. The remains of the extinct cave bear are the most common, with 30 specimens discovered as of yet. The cave lion appears at Pleistocene localities much more seldom, and the number of its remains found on this site exceeds the number found at most other cave lion localities in Croatia.
The discovery of wolf remains is very important, as it indicates that wolves actively used Upper Barać Cave during the Pleistocene. Four wolf specimens have been found in total. The aurochs or bison bones, which we collected at a different location in the cave, are also of great importance. All of the aforementioned indicates that this is a locality of great paleontological importance, and the excavations conducted in the cave yielded exceptional results in spite of their brevity, corroborating the great potential of this locality for further research.
