Cave bear
Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller, 1794
Status not recordedbears
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is a mammal in the bear family Ursidae, part of the order Carnivora. It falls in the giant size class, with an adult body mass of 1 tonne (1,000 kg) and a height of 3.5 m.
Quick facts about the cave bear
The species was named by Rosenmüller in 1794 and is placed in the genus Ursus, suborder Caniformia.
- Weight
- 1 tsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Height
- 3.5 msrc for Height
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- cavesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the cave bear?
Photos of the cave bear
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the cave bear live?
Not recorded
What is the cave bear?
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.
The common and scientific name for the species comes from their remains having been found largely in caves. This reflects the views of experts that cave bears spent more time in caves than the brown bear, frequently using them to hibernate during the winter months. Unlike brown bears, cave bears are thought to have been almost entirely or exclusively herbivorous.
Cave bears exhibit a great degree of size, morphological and genetic variability, and Late Pleistocene cave bears are often (though not universally) considered to be species complex of up to six different species.
From the Wikipedia article “Cave bear” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cave_bear&oldid=1383489313), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the cave bear endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the cave bear classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyUrsidae
- genusUrsus
- SpeciesUrsus spelaeus Rosenmüller, 1794
Other names and names in other languages (20)
- GrotbeerAfrikaans
- دب الكهفArabic
- medvěd jeskynníCzech
- HulebjørnDanish
- HöhlenbärGerman
- LuolakarhuFinnish
- Ours des cavernesFrench
- Barlangi medveHungarian
- Orso SpeleoItalian
- Orso delle CaverneItalian
- HolenbeerDutch
- Euraziatische holenbeerDutch
- niedźwiedź jaskiniowyPolish
- Urso das cavernasPortuguese
- Urs de peșterăRomanian
- Пещерный медведьRussian
- GrottbjörnSwedish
- Ведмідь печернийUkrainian
- Печерний ведмідьUkrainian
- 洞熊Chinese
Relatives of the cave bear
Other species in the same genus Ursus.
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
American black bear
Ursus americanus
Asian black bear
Ursus thibetanus
CompareCave bear vs Polar bearCave bear vs Brown bearCave bear vs American black bearCave bear vs Asian black bear
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the cave bear?
The cave bear is a mammal in the bear family Ursidae, within the order Carnivora.
How heavy is a cave bear?
An adult cave bear has a body mass of 1 tonne, or 1,000 kg, which places it in the giant size class.
How tall is a cave bear?
The cave bear has a height of 3.5 m.
What is the scientific name of the cave bear?
The scientific name of the cave bear is Ursus spelaeus, placing it in the genus Ursus.
Who named the cave bear and when?
The cave bear was named by Rosenmüller in 1794.
What family does the cave bear belong to?
The cave bear belongs to the family Ursidae, in the suborder Caniformia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cave-bear
“Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cave-bear.
@misc{cave_bear_2026,
title = {Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cave-bear},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}