Steppe brown bear

The steppe brown bear (Ursus arctos priscus) is a disputed extinct subspecies of brown bear that lived in Eurasia during either the Pleistocene or the early Holocene epochs, but its geological age is uncertain.^[1] Fossils of the bear have been found in various caves in Slovakia, particularly those of Vazec, Vyvieranie, Lisková, Kupcovie Izbicka, and Okno.^[2] Other authors have argued that the subspecies should be rendered invalid, as its geological age is unclear and "its skull is identical to modern U. arctos."^[3][1]

Ursus arctos priscus Temporal range: Pleistocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Illustration of a steppe brown bear battling a cave lion
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Caniformia
Family:	Ursidae
Subfamily:	Ursinae
Genus:	Ursus
Species:	U. arctos
Subspecies:	†U. a. priscus
Trinomial name
†Ursus arctos priscus

Description

Adult males in average would have weighed 700–800 kg (1,500–1,800 lb), with the largest individuals weighing up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).^[4] It would have been more carnivorous than a modern brown bear, consuming 50 kg (110 lb) of meat per day.^[4]