RARE LARGE BELGIAN FOSSIL CAVE BEAR PRIMARY M2 UPPER TOOTH WITH ROOT AND BONE FROM AN ARDENNES FOREST BELGIUM CAVE *LMX341

Product Description

SEE MORE CAVE BEAR FOSSILS

This RARE fossil Cave Bear upper M2 primary complete molar tooth with a root still embedded in a portion of the original jaw bone.  It comes from the extinct giant Cave Bear, Ursus spelaeus of Europe.  It is RARE as it was found in a cave from the Ardennes Forest in Belgium.  The crown and root are complete.  The beautiful crown has a natural luster to the white enamel. 

There are ONLY TWO of these largest primary molar teeth in a skull - right and left upper jaw.  The collection only had a couple of these major primary molars so do not hesitate on this specimen as we will never get this material again!  The full crown and root is beautifully preserved.

We have a very limited number of these fossils from a single private collection - the only private collection of Ardennes Forest cave fossils from Belgium we have ever known of, or will ever have since fossil collecting in this area is forbidden and has been for a number of years.

Many years ago, we acquired a collection of cave fossils found in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium.  The collection was formed in the 1960's and comprised fossils of predators such as Cave Bear and Cave Hyena, but also fossils of their prey such as Wild Boar.  Despite a large part of our business and years of experience being based in Europe, this collection was the single instance ever, we have encountered cave fossils from Belgium!  The cave deposit was wet, making the fossil preservation more fragile than usual, requiring the original collector to apply consolidant glue to the fossils in the field, sometimes in a crude manner.  The fossils are much whiter in color than those found in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, adding to their uniqueness.  For advanced Ice Age collectors, these fossils are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.    

HISTORY

The Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 20,000 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.  

The Cave bear's range stretched across Europe; from Spain and the British Isles in the west, Belgium, Italy, parts of Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Balkans, Romania, Georgia, and parts of Russia, including the Caucasus; and northern Iran.  No traces of Cave bears have been found in the northern British Isles, Scandinavia or the Baltic countries, which were all covered in extensive glaciers at the time.  The largest numbers of Cave bear remains have been found in Austria, Switzerland, northern Italy, northern Spain, southern France, and Romania, roughly corresponding with the Pyrenees, Alps, and Carpathians. 

Cave bear and Brown bear remains that are modified by Neanderthals to be used as tools have been found in various regions across Europe, indicating the exploitation of bear carcasses by Paleolithic humans.  An unusual discovery in a deep chamber of Basura Cave in Savona, Italy, is thought to be related to Cave bear worship, because there is a vaguely zoomorphic stalagmite surrounded by clay pellets.  It is thought to have been used by Neanderthals for a ceremony; bear bones scattered on the floor further suggests it was likely to have had some sort of ritual purpose.