A complete large cave bear skeleton (Ursus Spelaeus) dating back to the Upper Pleistocene period (126,000 to 11,700 years ago) on a metal stand.

The cave bear (Ursus Spelaeus) was a species of bear which lived in Europe during the Pleistocene era and became extinct at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum which occurred about 27,500 years ago. Both the name "cave bear" and the scientific name "spelaeus" derive from the fact that the fossils of this species were mostly found in caves, indicating that this species spent more time in caves than the Brown Bear (which only uses caves for hibernation). Cave bears were comparable in size to the largest bears in existence today. A large male could weigh 6-800kg. Interestingly cave bears were almost exclusively vegetarian and this is reflected in their dentition. They died out around 24,000 years ago so it is unlikely man had much of an impact on them as the human population in Europe at that time was very small.

Cave bear skeletons were first described in 1774 by Johann Friederich Esper in his book "Newly Discovered Zoolites of Unknown Four Footed Animals" and were thought to have been skeletons of dragons, unicorns, apes, canids or felids.

Condition: As with nearly all of these examples, parts of the bear have been significantly reconstructed including he hip and the shoulders blades, as well as sections of the front legs. Nevertheless it is roughly 90/95% complete.

Dimensions: 227cm high, 134cm wide (at its widest point)For additional information please contact us: