Two Kansas sisters are making headlines this week for their discovery of an ancient bear skull that was partially buried in a sandbar on the Arkansas River.
The remarkable discovery, perhaps providing the first physical evidence of grizzly bears’ former existence in Kansas, was made by Ashley and Erin Watt during a kayaking adventure in August.
Details were released Tuesday by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, which revealed that the “ancient” skull was partially unearthed by extreme flooding this year in the southwest portion of the state.
The precise location of the find was not revealed.
The Watt sisters collected the skull, which measures 16 inches long and 8.5 inches wide, and posted photos on Facebook. Chris Stout, a Wildlife, Parks & Tourism game warden, saw the post and notified colleagues, who notified paleontologists with the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
While Sternberg scientists have verified that the slightly fossilized skull belonged to a bear, they’re still trying to determine whether it belonged to a somewhat modern grizzly bear or a more primitive species.
Grizzly bears used to inhabit much of Kansas, but were extirpated by the early 1800s, according to Wildlife, Parks & Tourism.
“The bear skull was washed out of the same river sediments that routinely produce the skulls and bones of the American bison, some of which date back as far as the Ice Age,” Mike Everhart, Adjunct Curator of Paleontology at the Sternberg Museum, stated in the KDWPT news release. “Whether it is hundreds or thousands of years old, the skull gives us a better insight into the richness of life on the plains before Western man.”
The skull is in good condition, missing only a few teeth, and only slightly worn, indicating that it likely belonged to a more modern grizzly bear.
Said Ashley Watt: “It’s been pretty amazing not only discovering the skull but also the crowdsourcing used to determine how truly exceptional this find is. We can’t wait to see what further information can be uncovered about this incredible animal.”
–Images are courtesy of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, and Ashley Watt
