Cave Bear

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The Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a species of bear which lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago.

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Both the name Cave Bear and the scientific name spelaeus derive from the fact that 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. Many caves in Europe have skeletons of cave bears on display, for example the Heinrichsh?hle in Hemer or the Dechenh?hle in Iserlohn, Germany.

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Being about 30% bigger than the Brown Bear, the most notable difference between the two species is the steeper forehead of the cave bear. It was an omnivore, eating herbs, grass, berries, but also honey and occasionally small animals.

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The change of climate at the end of the W?rm Ice Age changed the flora significantly, however it was far from the first time an ice age had ended and a human role in the extinction is possible.

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It is suspected that cave bears were worshipped by some prehistoric Europeans, and shrines and altars have been found with cave bear-like carvings. A fictional interpretation of such worship can be found in Jean M. Auel's novel The Clan of the Cave Bear.

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In May 2005, scientists in California succeeded in recovering and decoding the DNA of a cave bear that lived between 42,000 and 44,000 years ago. The procedure used mitochondrial DNA extracted from the animal's tooth, made use of powerful new computing technology developed for the human genome project. Sequencing the DNA directly (rather than first replicating it with the polymerase chain reaction), the scientists were able to recover 21 cave bear genes.

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Species: In biology, the most commonly used definition of species was first coined by Ernst Mayr. Species are "groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations which are reproductively isolated from other such groups" (however, see other definitions of species below)....

Bear: For other meanings, see Bear (disambiguation)....

Europe: :This article is about the continent. For other meanings, see Europe (disambiguation)....

Cave Bear related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Clan of the Cave Bear 1986	Bear 1	Bear Hug	Cave-In!
Bear Pair	Cave-In! (TVM) (DVD)	Cave Woman	Bear Dance
Bear Woman	Bear: Mama Artio	Yogi Bear (DVD)	The Cave