The Cave Bear

I have read that humans hunted the cave bear to extinction. Humans prized their fat highly, so groups would risk injury and death to score a kill. The energy content of the bear was worth it: cave bears gave more energy than the leaner deer, etc. Paleodirect.com has some information on and picturs of fossils of cave bears. They show a picture of what they claim is the oldest musical instrument, too! They say:

The oldest positively dated musical instrument was discovered in a cave in Slovenia.  It was a flute made by the Neanderthals out of the bone of a cave bear.  It has been dated to 50,000 years ago.

Check it out!