6th Aug, 2025 10:30 GMT/BST
Natural History & Taxidermy
121
Skulls: A Cave Bear Upper Skull (Ursus spelaeus), approximately 24,000 years old, an upper section of a large adult Cave bear skull, length 45.5cm, width 29.5cm, height 20.5cm. The Cave Bear is a species of prehistoric bears that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene era and became extinct around 24,000 years ago during the last Glacial Maximum. Both the word cave and the scientific name spelaeus are used because fossils of this species were mostly found in caves. This reflects the views of experts that cave bears may have spent more time in caves than the Brown bear, which uses caves only for hibernation. It is thought to have been largely herbivorous. The cave bear had a very broad, domed skull with a steep forehead; its stout body had long thighs, massive shins and in-turning feet, making it similar in skeletal structure to the brown bear. Cave bears were comparable in size to, or larger than, the largest modern-day bears, measuring up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length. The average weight for males was 350 to 600 kg (770 to 1,320 lb), while females weighed 225 to 250 kg (495 to 550 lb)
Sold for £1,000
Estimated at £1,000 - £1,500
front left canine broken, front incisors missing, one large molar to right side missing, clay residue evident to surface - this must have at some point had a clay mould taken,
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Auction: Natural History & Taxidermy, 6th Aug, 2025
The Natural History sales cover a wealth of collecting areas, from pre-historic giant clam shells and mineral specimens, to Victorian collector’s cabinets and historic full mount pieces with a focus on Victorian and Edwardian taxidermy by the leading firms of the era.
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