Ursus minimus
| Ursus minimus Temporal range: Pliocene–Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Superfamily: | Arctoidea |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Subfamily: | Ursinae |
| Tribe: | Ursini |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | Ursus minimus Linnaeus 1758 |
Ursus minimus (Auvergne bear) is an extinct species of bear, endemic to Europe during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, living from 5.3—1.8 Mya, existing for about 3.5 million years.
U. minimus appears to have given rise to Ursus etruscus. The range of U. minimus was continental Europe and as far east as the Black Sea in Russia. Its southern range was Italy.
The skeleton of U. minimus was very similar to that of the larger Asian black bear. With the exception of the age of the bones, it is often difficult to distinguish the remains of U. minimus from those of modern Asian black bears.[1]
Fossil distribution
Sites and specimen ages:
- Kossiakino 1, Stavropol'skaya, Russian Federation ~5.3—3.4 Mya.
- Kuchurgan gravel site, Ukraine ~4.9—4.2 Mya.
- Osztramos locality 7, Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary ~3.4—1.8 Mya.
- Seneze (Domeyrat) site, France ~3.4—1.8 Mya.
- Meleto site, Tuscany, Italy ~3.2—2.5 Mya.[2]
References
Tracking the origins of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) by mitochondrial DNA sequencing
- ↑ Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventure in Pursuit of a New Species by Sy Montgomery published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009
- ↑ Paleobiology Database: Meleto collection
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.