Steppe Brown Bear
Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: Ursus arctos
Subspecies: Ursus arctos priscus
Described by Georg August Goldfuss, 1818
Common Names: Steppe Brown Bear and Ice Age Brown Bear.
Current Park Population: (9; 6 adults, 3 cubs; 4 male, 5 female)
Park Diet: Berries, apples, potatoes, carrots, pears, plums, pine cones, watermelons, pumpkins, nuts, roots, reeds, twigs, grass, honey, fish, raw pork chops, eggs, bear feed, and horse feed.
Natural Diet: Berries, pine cones, nuts, roots, reeds, twigs, grass, honey, fish, carcasses, and eggs.
Lifespan: 38 years.
Habitat: Seasonal snowy areas with large amounts of food during Spring and Summer, caves during the winter; Forests, Mammoth Steppes, will occasionally go into swamps and grasslands
Native Ecosystem: Europe and Asia, Pleistocene-Early Holocene.
Breeding Season: Mid-May to early July.
Gestation Period: Six to Seven Months.
Number of Young: One to four Cubs, rarely five or six.
Danger Level: Six out of 10.
Park Star Rating: 3 Stars
Summary: The Cave Bear wasn't the only bear during Ice Age Eurasia, among them is the Steppe Brown Bear. The steppe brown bear 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. It is argued that the subspecies should be rendered invalid, as its geological age is unclear and "its skull is identical to modern U. arctos."
Description: They resemble Eurasian Brown Bears, but much larger. They are brown varying from light brown to grayish brown grading to a dark brown belly and legs. The cubs resemble that of modern day brown bear cubs.
Size: Adult males on 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).
Distribution and Habitat: They can be found across Europe and Western Asia. Fossils of the bear have been found in various caves in Slovakia, particularly those of Vazec, Vyvieranie, Lisková, Kupcovie Izbicka, and Okno.
Diet: It was more carnivorous than a modern brown bear, consuming 50 kg (110 lb) of meat per day. Although they will eat plants on occasion like most bears for they are omnivores.
Interactions with other species: Steppe Brown Bears face competition with Cave Hyenas, Cave Lions, Cave Wolves, Cave Leopards, and Steppe Brown Bears. The Steppe Brown bear is more of a carnivore to scavenge carcasses and use their brute strength and claws to drive off packs of Cave Wolves, clans of Spotted Hyenas, and pride of Lions off a kill. Based on fossil evidence, Cave Lions would enter caves to prey on Denning Bears, but most of the time the result ends with the Lion's death from a woken angry Steppe Brown Bear. Steppe Brown Bear and Cave Bear normally don't compete as they have a niche partitioning with the Steppe Brown Bear being more Carnivorous compared to the Herbiviorus Cave Bear. But there are ocassions of both bears hunting and killing each other.
Steppe Brown Bears live around the forest and mountain areas of the Ice Age alongside Wisent, Eurasian Elk or Moose, and Megaloceros. Ocassaionlly wander into the Ice Age Mammoth Steppes to scavenge on dead animals and graze on the grass alongside Woolly Rhinoceros, Saiga, Antelopes, Woolly Mammoths, Aurochs, Elasmotherium, Tarpan, Steppe Bison, and European Wild Donkeys. Cave Bears aren't normally hunters due to their robust muscular stature and large size so they can't go after fast-running prey. If given the chance they would prey on young wisents, Eurasian Elk, Megaloceros, Woolly Rhinoceros, Saiga, Antelopes, Reindeer, Woolly Mammoths, Aurochs, Elasmotherium, Tarpan, Steppe Bison, and European Wild Donkeys.
These Bears have faced competition and are threatened by humans and Neanderthals who hunt them for food and compete for caves. The apemen are able to overpower and kill Cave Bears, especially during Hibernation when Denning Bears are Vulnerable. Steppe Brown Bears are territorial and as dangerous to approach as any other bear species. While these omnivores are willing to stay away from humans and Neanderthals, they won't tolerate humans and Neanderthals that get too close, attack them, or get in their way. Ape Men have been known to hunt Bears especially when they are Denning.
Extinction: It was most likely climate change and early humans taking away important caves that the bears needed for hibernation during the Winter months along with hunting drove these bears to Extinction.
Reintroduction Project: Prehistoric Park would normally plan to one day reintroduce a Pleistocene Eurasian animal, but, unfortunately, the Steppe Brown Bear wasn't part of the Russian mammoth steppe ecosystem. This, therefore, has made it unreleasable in Pleistocene Park. Nexus has thought of making a smaller park in Western Russia, where it could be in a semi-wild environment.
Danger Tip: Steppe Brown Bears havevery powerful claws and teeth that can kill humans, Neanderthals, and small to medium animals attacking them with little effort. They must, however, be careful of breaking their claws, as they often take months to regrow. When Steppe Brown Bears do break their claws, they resort to their sharp teeth, which can be used to maul almost any kind of imaginable enemy in their natural habitat.
Significant Events: On the First day of the Team's Second Rescue Mission while exploring a cave. The team were using air horns to wake up more Bears to run itno the portal, Both Cave Bears and Steppe Brown Bears. But one cave had three occupantns, three young male bears all Brothers, two were alive while one was speared to death later analysis based on the autopsy and spearheads revealed this bear was killed by the Ape Men. They now reside in the Ice Age Mount Predator Paddocks.
Ice Age Mount Steppe Brown Bear Paddock: The third section of Ice Age Mount, which was naturally at the very back of the overall zone and closest to the zone's exit, consisted of six appropriately sized paddocks themed after ice age valleys and steppes that came with large rocky caves that served as indoor dens. It is home to Cave Bears, Cave Leopards, Cave Hyenas, Cave Lions, Cave Wolves, and Steppe Brown Bears.
The Steppe Brown Bear Paddock is mostly woodland forest and steppes with a flowing river ending with a lake. There are large Caves where the Bears can sleep and den for the winter. Visitors can see them through the screens from the Security Video Cameras alongside Glass Viewing Panels. The Bears love to splash and swim in the water and feed on salmon given to the keepers.
Notable Individuals: These individuals were named after the characters from Brother Bear.
Kenai: A young male Steppe Brown Bear,One of the two brothers alive and the youngest of the two, he has light brown fur.
Denahi: A young male Steppe Brown Bear, The older of the two brother and can be told apart by his grayish brown fur.
Nita: a young female Steppe Brown Bear, she has tannish brown fur.
Conclusion: Everyone looks Bears and at Prehistoric Park, there are plenty of them like Cave Bears and Steppe Brown Bears. The Steppe Brown Bear represents one of the lesser known Ice Age Predators and scientists are eager to learn more about this ferocious ursine mammal.
The Field Guide might take a long time, like structuring and writing descriptions of the creatures, but also my time in college and spending time with my family. So you can suggest additional information quotes, descriptions, and natural or speculative behaviors for the prehistoric animals that I can edit and you send your suggestions either in reviews or Private Messages.
Examples: Inferring what the toons are doodling on the sketches or snarking quotes.
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