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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (640x960, 188 KB) Ursus spelaeus (Cave Bear, Höhlenbär), Skeleton at Wiener Hofmuseum (Vienna) from book: Wilhelm Bölsche: Entwicklungsgeschichte der Natur, Band 2, 1896 scanning: Agon S. Buchholz - User:Asb Public Domain (older than 70 years) first uppload: (Apr... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Ailuridae Amphicyonidae† Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Miacidae† Mustelidae Nandiniidae Nimravidae† Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Procyonidae Ursidae Viverravidae† Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora pronounced: (from Latin caro flesh, + vorare to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... For other meanings, see Bear (disambiguation). ... Species Ursus arctos Ursus americanus Ursus maritimus Ursus thibetanus,or Selenarctos thibetanus Asiatic black bear might be classified with Kinowagma belonging Selenarctos. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Genera Ailuropoda Ailurus Helarctos Melursus Ursus Tremarctos Arctodus (extinct) A bear is a large mammal in the family Ursidae of the order Carnivora. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The Pleistocene epoch (pronounced like ply-stow-seen) is part of the geologic timescale. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ...

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 Heinrichshöhle in Hemer or the Dechenhöhle in Iserlohn, Germany. Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Brown Bear range The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) is a species of bear that can reach masses of 130–700 kg (300–1500 pounds). ... Hibernation is a state of regulated hypothermia, lasting several days or weeks, that allows animals to conserve energy during the winter. ... Map of Germany showing Hemer Hemer is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Map of Germany showing Iserlohn Iserlohn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

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. Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Brown Bear range The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) is a species of bear that can reach masses of 130–700 kg (300–1500 pounds). ... An omnivore (from Latin: omne all, everything; vorare to devour) is an animal that eats both plants and meat. ...

The change of climate at the end of the Würm 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.

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. Jean Marie Auel (born February 18, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer. ... The Clan of the Cave Bear is a historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel. ...

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 genomic 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. 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Wikimedia Commons has media related to: May 2005 Deaths in May May 26: Eddie Albert May 25: Ismail Merchant May 25: Sunil Dutt May 25: Graham Kennedy May 22: Thurl Ravenscroft May 21: Howard Morris May 21... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid —usually in the form of a double helix— that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life, and most viruses. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique, invented in 1985 by Kary B. Mullis,[1] for enzymatically replicating DNA without using a living organism, such as E. coli or yeast. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ...

In Romania, there is a cave called Pestera Ursilor (Bears' Cave) where 140 cave bear skeletons had been discovered in 1983.

See also

• List of extinct animals
• Megafauna
• Prehistoric life

// Prepleistocene extinctions A large number of historical orders are extinct, for example dinosaurs, pterosaurs and ammonites. ... Megafauna are large animals of any particular region or time. ... Prehistoric life is a term used to refer to diverse organisms that inhabited Earth from the origin of life about 3. ...

External links

• Cave Bears -- The War for Habitable Caves
• Show Caves of Romania