Cave bear skull. Russia.

Cave bear skull. Russia.
11000 years ago.
Pleistocene.
Measurements: 15 x 30 x 17 cm.

The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a prehistoric bear species that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. Its skull was large and robust, with a sloping forehead. It had broad, flat molars, adapted for a mostly herbivorous diet, although it may also have eaten meat occasionally. It was larger than the present-day brown bear (Ursus arctos) and had a more massive build. Cave bear skulls are frequently found in caves, where these animals hibernated.