Ursus minimus
Introduction '''''Ursus minimus''''' (the '''Auvergne bear''') is an extinct species of bear, endemic to Europe during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, living from 5.3 to 1.8 Mya, existing for about . ''U. minimus'' appears to have given rise to ''Ursus etruscus''. The range of ''U. minimus'' was continental Europe, as far east as the Black Sea in Russia and as far south as Italy.The skeleton of ''U. minimus'' was very similar to that of the larger Asian black bear. With the exception of the age of the bones, it is often difficult to distinguish the remains of ''U. minimus'' from those of modern Asian black bears.
Fossil distribution Sites and specimen ages:*Kossiakino 1, Stavropol'skaya, Russian Federation ~5.3—3.4 Mya. *Kuchurgan gravel site, Ukraine ~4.9—4.2 Mya. *Osztramos locality 7, Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary ~3.4—1.8 Mya. *Seneze (Domeyrat) site, France ~3.4—1.8 Mya. *Meleto site, Tuscany, Italy ~3.2—2.5 Mya.
References *  Tracking the origins of the cave bear (''Ursus spelaeus'') by mitochondrial DNA sequencing