Ursus

Ursus spelaeus★★★☆☆
Exhibit
Exhibit Crowding	TBA
Temperature	TBA °C
Fence Security	Strength TBA
Exhibit
Plant Biomes	TBA
Forest	TBA
Water	TBA
Social
Group Size	TBA
Diet
Plants
Creation
Breeding Cost	TBA
Digsites
Digsites	TBA

Ursus is a genus of large bears found in the Nearctic and Palearctic biogeographic realms. The genus is the second in Prehistoric Kingdom to still have living members, in the Black (American & Asian), Brown and Polar Bears. The extinct species found in Prehistoric Kingdom is U. spelaeus, also known as the Cave Bear. They lived throughout Asia and Europe during the Pleistocene, and would've lived alongside Mammuthus, Coelodonta, Panthera and Megaloceros on the frozen steppes and woodlands that it called home.

Ursus is planned to come to Prehistoric Kingdom in Update 13, as of the October 2024 Devlog.

In Game

Description

Ursus spelaeus is very similar in appearance and size to modern large bears, especially to the brown bear. Each skin draws more from different living bears, with one skin looking similar to that of a Grizzly Bear, another having Black Bear characteristics such as a dark body and lighter muzzle, and the final skin being somewhat comparable to Sun Bears and Sloth Bears with striking white chest patterning and eye spots.

Management

To be announced.

In-Game Trivia

Nigel Marven

Nigel Marven

Nigel Marven

Nigel Marven

Paleontology

As their common name suggests, most fossils of Ursus spelaeus are found in caves and may have lived in them for much longer than the Brown Bear which only uses caves to hibernate during the winter. This may have been an adaptation for the harsher conditions during the glacial advances of the Pleistocene.

Ursus spelaeus was named in 1794 by the German anatomist Johann Christian Rosenmüller, its scientific name means Cave (spelaeus) Bear (ursus).

Paleoecology

The teeth of Cave Bears differ from many modern day bears, as they lack the usual two or three premolars found in other species. This coupled with carbon and nitrogen levels suggest that the Cave Bear had a primarily herbivorous diet compared to other bears, though some have come to doubt this interpretation, instead advocating for a more varied diet.

Cave Bears would have faced many hardships both from the elements and from other animals, with attacks from Cave Lions and humans being known from multiple sites. Competition for shelter and predation likely would have driven these animals into combat, similar to predatory relationships seen today between some tigers and hibernating bears today.

Gallery

• Photos
• Development

Ursus and a Tyrannosaurus contemplating why people make them fight on twitter

Two Ursus and a Laborer, with the one on the left showcasing one of the most intimidating bear behaviors, and the other showing off one of its least.

The Bear Stare

A close up look at the Cave Bear's pearly whites.

The most vibrant of the Ursus skins in game sporting a stylish stripe.

The bear in all its bearness, sporting a very bear skin. It is a bear.

An Ursus in game, as seen in the October 2024 Devlog.

An Ursus of a different skin in game, as seen in the October 2024 Devlog.

An Ursus in game, as seen in the September 2019 Devlog.

Ursus skins, as seen in the September 2019 Devlog.

Render comparing old Ursus model to current, as seen in the September 2019 Devlog.

Ursus Species Profile, as seen in the September 2019 Devlog.

Grotto

Grizzled

Ecliptic

Ursus Walk Cycle, as seen in the February 2020 Devlog.

Ursus Run Cycle, as seen in the February 2020 Devlog.

Trivia

• Ursus is the second genus in Prehistoric Kingdom to have living representatives, with the first being Panthera.
• In its reintroduction to Prehistoric Kingdom's modern early access build during October 2024's Dev Diary the relative mundanity of the animal was addressed with a simple response:
  • "Some of you may be thinking it’s 'just a bear,' but to that, we offer the following counterpoint: It’s a bear!"
• Ursus will be the first member of Caniformia (dogs, raccoons, mustelids, seals, etc) to be featured in-game, as all carnivoran mammals added before it were members of Feliformia (cats, hyenas, civets, mongooses, etc).