Cave Bear Jawbone/Teeth Fossil, Ursus spelaeus

Pleistocene,  

15 cm x 4 cm

weight 84 grams,

From North Sea, Russia.

 The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a species of bear that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum, about 27,500 years ago.

Both the name "cave" and the scientific name Spelaeus derive from the fact that fossils of this species were mostly found in caves, indicating this species spent more time in caves than the brown bear, which only uses caves for hibernation. Consequently, in the course of time, whole layers of bones, almost entire skeletons, were found in many caves.

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