Ursus deningeri
Encyclopedia
Ursus deningeri is an extinct species
of mammal
of the family Ursidae (bears), endemic to Europe
during the Pleistocene
, living from ~1.8 Mya—100,000 years ago, existing for approximately .
The range of this bear is almost completely confined to the European continent.
is slender like that of Ursus arctos and Ursus etruscus
. It also has derived characters of cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) and is considered to be the ancestor of Ursus savini and very close to the common ancestor of the aforementioned Ursus arctos.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
of the family Ursidae (bears), endemic to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
, living from ~1.8 Mya—100,000 years ago, existing for approximately .
The range of this bear is almost completely confined to the European continent.
Morphology
Ursus deningeri has a combination of primitive and derived characters that distinguishes it from all other Pleistocene bears. Its mandibleMandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
is slender like that of Ursus arctos and Ursus etruscus
Ursus etruscus
Ursus etruscus is an extinct species of mammal of the family Ursidae , endemic to Europe, Asia and North Africa during the Pliocene through Pleistocene, living from ~5.3 Mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately ....
. It also has derived characters of cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) and is considered to be the ancestor of Ursus savini and very close to the common ancestor of the aforementioned Ursus arctos.
Fossil distribution
Sites and specimen ages:- Nalaikha, MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
~1.8 Ma.——800,000 years ago. - West Runton Freshwater Bed, Cromer Forest Bed FormationCromer Forest BedThe Cromer Forest Bed formation is exposed at intervals along the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk, from Weybourne to Kessingland. The forest bed was formed in the Quaternary Period and dates to between 780,000 to 450,000 years ago, within the Cromerian Stage of the Pleistocene...
, Norfolk, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, ~800,000—100,000 years ago. - Cueva del Agua, Granada, Spain ~800,000—100,000 years ago.
- Venosa bed excavations 1974-1976, BasilicataBasilicataBasilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
~800,000—100,000 years ago. - Emirkaya-2, Central AnatoliaAnatoliaAnatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
~800,000—100,000 years ago.