Cave Bears - The Unexpected Vegetarians of the Ice Age

Explore the fascinating world of cave bears in this 1-hour 5-minute lecture presented by Dr. Anneke van Heteren from the Zoological Museum of Munich at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Delve into the unexpected dietary habits of these Ice Age giants, challenging the notion of their ferocious nature. Discover their distribution, family tree, and evolution from Ursus Minimus to the modern brown bear. Examine the cave bear's impressive size, reconstruction, and interactions with other prehistoric animals such as horses, wolves, bison, and woolly mammoths. Investigate their behavior, including hibernation patterns and evidence from cave art. Analyze the ongoing scientific debate about their diet through comparisons with modern bears, functional morphology, and phylogenetic studies. Gain insights into the lower jaw shape and its implications for understanding cave bear feeding habits. Engage with thought-provoking questions and evidence that shed light on these unexpected vegetarians of the Ice Age.

Introduction
Distribution
Family Tree
Ursus Minimus
Episcopalia
Modern Brown Bear
Size
Reconstruction
Other Animals
Horses and Wolves
Step Bison
Hour Ox
Giant Deer
Reindeer
Cave Lion
Woolly Rhino
Woolly Mammoth
Behavior
Hibernation
Babies
Scratches
Cave Art
The Diet
Was it a ferocious predator
American Black Bear
Panda
Himalayan Sun Bear
Functional Morphology
Phylogenetic Tree
Lower Jaw Shape
Questions
Evidence