An enormous, Prehistoric fully articulated skeleton of a male Cave Bear, Ursus Spelaeus, dating to the Middle to Late Pleistocene (780,000 - 20,000 years before present).
The Long-extinct creature stands over 6 foot 9 inches tall, with weight on his hind-legs, and in a position of attack. His front legs swipe forwards as he opens his wide jaw to reveal his massive canines. Anatomy consistent with Ursus Spelaeus, including steep frontal brow, saggital ridge, prominent zygoma and appropriate dental structure. Genuine, complete Cave Bear skeletons are very rare and must be distinguished from misidentified, relatively recent, Russian sub-species, which display incorrect anatomy and are commonly offered for sale online.
As the name suggests, Cave Bears spent much of their life in the caves of Early Europe. A number of complete skeletons have surfaced over the years, most of which have been found in Eastern European caves, mainly in Romania. They differ markedly from our own Brown bears, which only enter caves to hibernate. They were considerably larger and heavier too, weighing anything from 900-1300 pounds.
Undoubtedly terrifying to early Humans, these giant creatures are believed to have been worshiped by Neanderthal man and are depicted on prehistoric Cave Paintings from France.1 What is speculated to be the earliest known musical instrument, a bone "flute", was actually made from a cave bear bone by Neanderthal man, 55,000 years ago.2
Genuine Cave Bear skeletons such as this can be found in major national museums such as the American Museum of Natural History, New York .3 This specimen stands hunched over at approximately 82 inches. His full standing height would exceed 8 foot, making him one of the largest examples known.
Height of Creature, mounted: 82 inches.
Length of skull alone: 20 inches.
Height of hips from ground: 41 1/2 inches.
Condition: Excellent condition. Over 90 percent original with minor restorations. Rib cage and inter-vertebral discs (originally made of soft tissue) have been professionally reconstructed. Skull intact with minor restoration to the left zygomatic arch (cheekbone), and left-posterior occiput. Restoration to the scapula on both sides and minor restoration to the ilium (hip-bone).
Provenance: Excavated 1970's, Bihor Mountains, Transylvania, Romania. All the bones found in the same cave and presumably from the same cave bear. The skeleton was restored and articulated in Holland by a professional paleontologist. The piece subsequently entered a Dutch Private Collection.
References:
1 http://www.news.leiden.edu/dna-from-extinct-cave-bear.jsp
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divje_Babe
3http://flickr.com/photos/30629351@N00/2047292639
This piece will need to be professionally crated and shipped - please enquire regarding delivery costs.
