Skeleton Cave (Oregon)
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| Skeleton Cave | |
|---|---|
 Bat gate at the entrance of Skeleton Cave | |
 Interactive map of Skeleton Cave | |
| Location | Deschutes County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 43°57.016′N 121°10.638′W / 43.950267°N 121.177300°W[1] |
| Length | 3,560 feet |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Access | May 1st thru September 30th via private tour[2] |
Skeleton Cave is a lava tube within Deschutes County, Oregon, of the United States. The cave is within Deschutes National Forest and is located on the northern flank of Newberry Volcano near the city of Bend. The cave is between 75,000 and 400,000 years old.[3]
The cave was first documented by American settlers circa 1924, although a stick was found inside the cave with pencilled markings showing visitation from 1894. Perhaps on that same visit, an illegal moonshiner's still was found inside the cave.[4][5] At one time the lava tube may have been referred to as Bone Cave[6] but it received its current moniker as Skeleton Cave from Phil Brogan who observed many assorted pieces of skeletons within.[5] One theory put forth by Dr. James W. Gidley, a scientist from the National Museum, claimed all the fossils fell into the cave from cracks in the ceiling created by earthquakes. Gidley believed this because he couldn't fathom why an animal would crawl all the way into the cave to die.[7] The skylight entrance to the cave served as a natural trap in which animals could not escape. Several newspaper accounts note fossils within. The most noteworthy remnants belonged to a horse from the Pleistocene that was later identified as Equus niobrarensis.[8][9] A bear at least "one third larger than any living species" was also found in the cave.[9] Many other pieces of bone were found inside the cave.
A list of the known skeletal remains include:
- North American short-faced bear (Arctodus)[9][10][11][12][13]
- Deer[10]
- Elk[10]
- Arctic fox[10][11][13]
- Gray fox (Newton's and Townsend's)[6][9][11][12][14]
- Horse[8][9][10][11][12][13]
- Lynx[15]
- Rodents[10]
- Dire Wolf (nearly as large as Canis lupus occidentalis)[10][13]
- A large hyena-like dog[7][11]
- Marten-sized carnivore[10]