Fossil Cave Bear Skull, 18"

$15,000.00 USD

A commanding relic of the Ice Age, this cave bear (Ursus uralensis) skull represents a mature adult male of notable scale, measuring approximately 18 inches in overall diameter. The specimen dates to the Late Pleistocene and was recovered from a cave in the Perm region of the Ural Mountains, near the Chan’va River, a landscape long associated with the preservation of Pleistocene megafauna.

Cave bears displayed pronounced sexual dimorphism: adult males could exceed 1,000 pounds, while females typically reached roughly half that mass. The robust proportions and cranial development of this skull are consistent with a fully mature male individual, conveying the formidable physical presence that characterized the species.

Beyond its biological significance, the cave bear occupies a distinctive place in the archaeological record. At several European Middle Paleolithic sites, non-random groupings of cave bear skulls—sometimes carefully arranged or oriented—have been documented. While scholarly interpretations vary, such contexts are widely understood to reflect symbolic or ritualized behaviours rather than simple natural accumulation.

The skull is presented on a finely finished oak display base, offering a museum-quality presentation well suited to institutional display or an advanced private collection.

TAXONOMY