Abstract (eng)
In the course of time, several excavations were conducted in the Salzofenhöhle in the Totes Gebirge, Styria, and they led to numerous fossil findings. The examined material was discovered by Dr. Kurt Ehrenberg in 1939 and between 1959 and 1964. The main cave-entrance is located 2005 meters above sea level. Apart from the main entrance there are various side entrances into the cave. K. Ehrenberg was in charge of the recovery of the material and worked on behalf of the Federal Monuments Office.
Some of the fossil findings of the Salzofenhöhle have already been examined. Parts of these are kept in the Kammerhofmuseum of Bad Aussee, while others are in the Institute of Paleontology of the University of Vienna. The generated data were published within the framework of the monograph “Die Evolution des Höhlenbärengebisses” (see Rabeder 1999). The taxonomic identification of those former findings resulted in Ursus spelaeus eremus. (vgl. Rabeder & Hofreiter 2004; vgl. Rabeder et al. 2008)
The fossil findings discovered at the excavations supervised by K. Ehrenberg between 1950 and 1964 can be inspected at the Natural History Museum of Vienna, where they were retouched. All skull fragments, metapodials and teeth were inventoried and measured. Length and width were predominantly measured. After the measurements, the morphologic type of the premolars (P4 sup and p4 inf) and the second molars (M2 sup and m2 inf) were furthermore determined. These generated data were consequently compared to the standard values of the Gamssulzen Höhle along with the values of other, primarily alpine, faunas.
The aim of this thesis is to establish a complete catalog of the bear teeth discovered in the Salzofenhöhle and to review, verify and enlarge the already acquired research results.