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RARE AND DELICATE PROCESSES LIKE THIS ARE OFTEN MISSING IN CAVE BEAR FOSSIL JAWS. ALL BONE ANATOMY YOU SEE IN THE ABOVE SPECIMEN IS 100% REAL AND ORIGINAL AS IT WAS FOUND. CORONOID PROCESS SHOWN IN THE PHOTO BELOW WHERE THE HAND IS HOLDING THE JAW IS ALSO 100% ORIGINAL AND COMPLETE. THE MAJORITY OF CAVE BEAR JAWS HAVE THIS PART RECREATED IN PLASTIC PUTTY. A JAW TOTALLY COMPLETE LIKE THIS IS EXTREMELY RARE.
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GRADE 10 COMPLETE CAVE BEAR (URSUS SPELAEUS) JAW WITH TEETH AND ALL ORIGINAL BONE ANATOMY Undisclosed Cave - Carpathian Mountains, Romania PLEISTOCENE PERIOD: 200,000 - 20,000 years ago Perfect to display alone, with related mammal specimens of the last Ice Age or with stone tools and weapons of the Neanderthals considering their extensive interaction and veneration of cave bears, this is a GRADE 10 FINEST QUALITY lower right mandible of the true European Cave Bear, Ursus spelaeus. It was collected from a Pleistocene cave deposit in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. Entire jaw is 100% genuine and natural AS FOUND with all related genuine teeth. All teeth are present except the most posterior molar. Most dealers would have simply glued in another tooth from a different jaw but this is a very rare specimen where it is in such remarkable ORIGINAL condition that we felt it important to keep it as it was found. A fossil jaw like this is not only nice for a high grade collection of Ice Age fossils but because it is 100% original with no fabricated parts or added teeth, it possesses very important scientific value as a reference specimen. Rarely do you find European Cave Bear jaws in this complete preservation. Note the rare back processes and the original COMPLETE high coronoid process above the joint. MOST CAVE BEAR JAWS ARE MISSING THE CORONOID PROCESS (see above photo) AS WELL AS THE BACK HOOK PROCESSES IN THE BONE. THIS ONE IS PERFECT AND COMPLETE WITH ALL ORIGINAL BONE ANATOMY! The jaw is unbroken, in the finest state of preservation. The canine fang is amazing and is original - perfect with no wear or damage! The entire bone surface is dense and smooth. There are some drying cracks but these are stable and have not been filled to show exactly what a 100% natural specimen of the finest grade would like. NO FABRICATION, ADDED BONE OR TEETH PARTS OR REPAIR. An impressive and FINEST GRADE specimen of these massive beasts. Sure you can find cave bear jaws at a fraction of the price of this specimen but they will not be purely original and likely either have added teeth or fabrication to missing bone parts with filled cracks. If one top grade specimen is your preference to incomplete examples, this is a rare opportunity to acquire such a piece. THE FIRM BAN ON THE EXPORT OF CAVE BEAR FOSSILS FROM ROMANIA HAS BEEN STRONGLY ENFORCED FOR MANY YEARS NOW MAKING SPECIMENS LIKE THIS QUITE A RARITY IN THE MARKET COMPARED TO EARLIER DAYS. It is most certain that as time goes on, it will be even more difficult to locate quality cave bear fossils that have not been heavily restored and "improved" because the best quality examples like this piece are now very rare. True Cave Bear fossils from the European extinct Ice Age bear Ursus spelaeus have become quite rare in today's market. Fine quality examples of any fossil remains of the cave bear are scarce. The Cave Bear of Europe was a beast both feared and worshipped by Neanderthals and Cro-magnon man as they were forced to co-exist and compete for shelter during the final Ice Age. A classic beast of the Pleistocene, no vertebrate fossil collection showcasing animals of the last Ice Age and even primitive human history should be without some fine grade examples of fossils of this animal.
The anatomical features of the Russian non-cave-dwelling species are evident when compared to the true European Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus). The Russian bear species (uralensis) is also not as massive as the true European cave bear, Ursus spelaeus. Basic anatomical features of the skull are easy to differentiate the two. Ursus spelaeus will have larger zygomatic arches (cheek bones), a much steeper forehead and a higher, more pronounced sagittal crest (the crest on the dorsal posterior portion of the skull). Compare the skull images on this page and elsewhere in this section to Russian skulls being sold elsewhere and you will see the difference. Russian bear fossils of Ursus uralensis are MUCH MORE prevalent and found in greater numbers today than high quality TRUE cave bear fossils of Europe (Ursus spelaeus) and therefore, are less rare and reflect a lower price than the European specimens. Ursus spelaeus was a huge omnivorous bear that resided in caves year-round compared to modern bears which only use caves as a shelter for hibernation. When standing on its hind legs, the height of this beast would have averaged 10 feet tall! Skulls have been found 20 inches in length! The closest relative is our modern day brown bear but the cave bear averages 30% greater in size. One way to differentiate a cave bear skull from a brown bear (and all other bears for that matter) is the sheer size, first off, and also the prominence of the brow and forehead unique to the cave bear. Modern bear skulls have a more gradual sloping forehead. Found throughout caves in Europe, the cave bear was named after the places where its remains are commonly found: caves, in the Alps, the Ardennes, the Carpathian and Ural Mountains, and in many other European mountain chains. Remains found in caves near the North Sea and in The Netherlands show that the range of Ursus spelaeus eventually spread into the lowland forests of western Europe. In this last region, populations drastically declined around 40,000 years ago finally becoming extinct during the last glacial period. It is believed that the cave bears' demise was aided by competition for food and shelter by a simultaneous existence with the brown bear. Evidence found in caves suggests that prehistoric man either worshipped the cave bear or used its remains in religious rituals. VERY RARE SPECIMEN WITH 100% COMPLETE BONE ANATOMY WITH ALL FRAGILE DETAIL INTACT - ALL TEETH ARE CHOICE AND ORIGINAL! 11.25" in length SOLD LM40-008 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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