In order to establish modern research on cave faunas from Slovenia, a
co-operation for several years between the University of Vienna, the
University of Ljubljana and the Austrian Academy of Sciences was
established in 1996. The idea behind was to complete the results of
former excavations with new methodological approaches. The focus lay
especially on determining the chronological age of fossil finds and
artefacts by radiocarbon dating and on studying the fauna remains in the
light of the newest palaeobiological research standards. In Krizna jama
(Kreuzberghohle) we followed the example set by the successful
additional excavations in Potocka zijalka and Ajdovska jama. It is one
of the most interesting caves in the classical karst area. Not only is
it possible to admire magnificent sinter structures but also to follow
eight kilometres along a unique subterranean stream in an inflatable
dinghy. Krina jama is less well known as cave bear site even though an
excavation team from the Natural History Museum in Vienna carried out
palaeontological excavations already 125 years ago. Additional
excavations in 2000 and 2001 recovered rich fossil layers with many well
preserved cave bears remains that allowed for clarifying the following
scientific problems: the systematic position of the cave bear remains,
the time period in which the site has been used for hibernation, as well
as certain peculiarities in their behaviour compared to other cave bear
faunas. Additional articles concerning the history of excavation, the
geology of the surrounding, the extremely interesting course of the
subterranean regimes, the speleothems and sediments as well as regarding
the modern cave fauna and troglobites complete the monograph. Printed
with support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF.
