Bear Evolution

[brotherbear]

The Cave Bear Story... In the early Villafranchian age ( 4 million years ago ) we still see Ursus minimus around, although he has changed a bit. He is somewhat larger than in the old times, and there have also been small, all but imperceptible, changes in his teeth. bears of this kind were widely distributed in the Old World, and recent finds in North America show that this species, or a very closely related one, was present there too. The two living species of black bear, the American ( Ursus americanus ) and the Himalayan ( Ursus thibetanus ) are probably descended from Ursus minimus.    Reply