Ice Age Animal Bones Found In Indiana Cave

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on May 4, 2013 3:15PM

In 2010, cavers crawled into an unexplored portion of the Binkley cave system in Southern Indiana and discovered a cache of bones, which they assumed were from historic and common farm livestock. In 2012, a new entrance to the space allowed the Indiana state paleontologist to visit, and he recognized that the bones weren't from your average cow—they were from the Ice Age.

The skeletons include snakes, a black bear, an owl and juvenile bison, and they're well-preserved in clay. While the bones haven't been carbon dated, scientists estimate they're between 12,000 and 50,000 years old.

“They have something really unusual,” said Missouri-based paleontologist Matt Forir, who has visited the cave. “They have a cave full of bones that tell a really neat story.”

Gary Roberson, the former co-owner of Marengo Cave, his wife Laura and two other partners are working to open part of the cave system — the 11th longest nationally — as Indiana Caverns and begin offering public tours in late May.

Both Forir and [Ron Richards, chief curator of science and technology at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis] made separate forays into the cave last summer at the owners’ request, and both found evidence suggesting that various animals, including more than 100 peccary, wandered into the underground maze up to 15,000 years ago and got lost before an Ice Age closed the entrance.

Scientists are excited about all the peccary bones, and Richards "estimated that Indiana Caverns ranks as one of the top peccary caves because there may be up to 200 skeletons represented. That’s national significance, he said, adding that they may eventually find that 'it’s one of the better peccary caves anywhere.'"

The bones are still in the cave, since "removing skeletons from the consistent temperature and humidity of the underground environment could do irreparable harm." State and federal law don't protect paleontology finds as they do archaeological finds, so property owners control the bones. And currently, owners are spending more money on trying to open the space to the public instead of on research.

Since the find is incredibly important for understanding the Ice Age in Indiana, Richards said that he's hopeful the state and the cave owners can "collaborate to preserve the bone deposits for research and education."