| Cave Bear | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biological information | |
| Time period : | Pleistocene epoch |
| Lifestyle : | Omnivore |
| In the series | |
| Brought back : | None |
| Appearances : | "A Mammoth Undertaking" |
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is an extinct species of bear that lived during the Pleistocene epoch in Eurasia. It became extinct about 10,000 years ago.
Portrayal in the series[]
The cave bear is very much akin to modern bears in terms of appearance; big, bulky, and fast, and as its name suggests, it lived in caves. It was armed with long claws and sharp teeth, and was comparable in size to the polar bear, though its skeletal structure was similar to that of the brown bear. The average weight for male cave bears was 400–500 kilograms (880–1102 pounds), while females weighed 225–250 kilograms (496–551 pounds). In the series, the cave bear had a dark brown coat of fur, with black rings around its eyes and a white snout, which was contrasted by a dark-colored nose.
The cave bear was a solitary and territorial animal, keeping to itself most of the time and only ever getting aggressive if it perceives something as a threat. It will chase away anything that intrudes its cave, though unlike with modern bears, it will give up the moment the target of its fury climbs up a tree, as it is a very poor climber. However, despite its large size and sharp armament, the cave bear wasn't a pure carnivore but an omnivore, meaning it ate both meat and plants, and like with most bears, it will eat anything it can find during the fall before going into hibernation during the winter.
In Prehistoric Park[]
The cave bear returning to its cave. ("A Mammoth Undertaking")
"A Mammoth Undertaking"[]
When Nigel Marven travels back to the end of the last Ice Age, in search of a woolly mammoth, he comes across a cave, hidden deep within the forest. Intrigued, he decides to take a look inside. This turns out to be a big mistake as the cave as a loud roar indicates that the cave is occupied. Shortly after entering, Nigel backs out, slowly but hastily, telling the cameraman to do the same.
Unfortunately, he has already woken the occupant, a large male cave bear, who follows him out. Rearing onto his hind legs and bellowing fiercely, the bear proceeds to chase Nigel and the cameraman. Luckily, Nigel is able to escape by climbing up a tree, out of bears reach. As for the cameraman, the bear angrily swipes the camera out of their hands, but fortunately, the cameraman is left unharmed and also manages to escape.
Following this brief encounter, the bear loses interest in the humans and returns to his cave. Regrouping with the crew, Nigel notes that the bear wasn't hunting them, just chasing away a perceived threat. Since his snow mobile is still at the cave, Nigel and his team follow the bear, partly to get their equipment back but also to observe him. Although Nigel notes that Cave Bears are largely vegetarian, the group wisely keeps their distance.
As the bear slowly disappears into his cave, Nigel stipulates that they are looking at a rare sight. This particular bear is definitely amongst the last of his kind, which was already presumed extinct by this stage of the last Ice age. Their extinction is not far off. Despite his mission to rescue prehistoric animals on the brink of extinction, Nigel knows that he cannot transport this particular creature back to the park safely. Thus, after retrieving his snowmobile, he and the team resume their search for a mammoth, leaving the bear and his species to their fate.
Errors[]
- Cave bears are believed to have died out about 24,000 years ago, long before the events of this episode, which is set at around 10,000 years ago. Nigel points this out following the chase, although he doesn't give the dates. Whilst it is possible that isolated populations of Cave Bears did survive later than the perceived extinction, as of 2024, no fossil evidence has emerged to support this hypothesis.
- As Nigel pointed out, male cave bears were much larger than the females. However, the average size for this particular species is still contested. Based upon current research, paleontologists believe that the average cave bear grew to about 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length, rather than 4 meters (13 feet) as depicted in the show. This would make them similar in size to female polar bears, the largest species of extant bear.
- Just before Nigel is chased by the cave bear, the narrator states that cave bears were more muscular than any other bear. Whilst this is true when compared to contemporary species, the cave bear would have been outmatched by the American short-faced bears, i.e. the largest bears to have ever existed.
External links[]