Amutxate III

At present the cavity is protected, since in 1995 paleontological remains of Bear (Urdus Spelaeus Rosenmüller-Heinroth) of exceptional value were found: the cavity served as a hibernation refuge for the area's bears for several thousand years, inhabited by solitary males or females during gestation and later while rearing their cubs. The aforementioned discovery led to a series of paleontological excavations directed by Trinidad Torres and Rafael Cobo, with the participation of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales y de Minas de Vigo, the Satorrak Speleology Group, as well as the universities of Australia and Sweden.