21 Facts About Cave bear

Cave bear is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Cave bear skeletons were first described in 1774 by Johann Friedrich Esper, in his book Newly Discovered Zoolites of Unknown Four Footed Animals.

Cave bear bones are found in several caves in the country of Georgia.

The preserved Cave bear was found on Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island, part of the Lyakhovsky Islands archipelago.

The immediate precursor of the cave bear was probably Ursus deningeri, a species restricted to Pleistocene Europe about 1.

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Cave bear had a very broad, domed skull with a steep forehead; its stout body had long thighs, massive shins and in-turning feet, making it similar in skeletal structure to the brown bear.

The humerus of the cave bear was similar in size to that of the polar bear, as were the femora of females.

Cave bear teeth were very large and show greater wear than most modern bear species, suggesting a diet of tough materials.

Additionally, cave bear remains from Pestera cu Oase in the southwestern tip of the Romanian part of the Carpathian Mountains had elevated levels of nitrogen-15 in their bones, indicative of omnivorous diets, although the values are within the range of those found for the strictly herbivorous mammoth.

Some cave bear bones show signs of numerous ailments, including spinal fusion, bone tumours, cavities, tooth resorption, necrosis, osteomyelitis, periostitis, rickets and kidney stones.

Male cave bear skeletons have been found with broken bacula, probably due to fighting during the breeding season.

Cave bear longevity is unknown, though it has been estimated that they seldom exceeded twenty years of age.

Cave bear's range stretched across Europe; from Spain and Great Britain in the west, Italy, parts of Germany, Poland, the Balkans, Romania, Georgia and parts of Russia, including the Caucasus; and northern Iran.

The largest numbers of cave bear remains have been found in Austria, Switzerland, northern Italy, northern Spain, southern France, and Romania, roughly corresponding with the Pyrenees, Alps, and Carpathians.

Cave bear inhabited low mountainous areas, especially in regions rich in limestone caves.

An unusual discovery in a deep chamber of Basura Cave in Savona, Italy, is thought to be related to cave bear worship, because there is a vaguely zoomorphic stalagmite surrounded by clay pellets.

Some experts have disputed this claim, as the cave bear had survived multiple climate changes prior to extinction.

Additionally, mitochondrial DNA research indicated that the genetic decline of the cave bear began long before it became extinct, demonstrating habitat loss due to climate change was not responsible.

The late paleontologist Bjorn Kurten hypothesized cave bear populations were fragmented and under stress even before the advent of the glaciers.

Some evidence indicates that the cave bear used only caves for hibernation and was not inclined to use other locations, such as thickets, for this purpose, in contrast to the more versatile brown bear.

Therefore, as human populations slowly increased, the cave bear faced a shrinking pool of suitable caves, and slowly faded away to extinction, as both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans sought out caves as living quarters, depriving the cave bear of vital habitat.