Ursavus
Ursavus is an extinct genus of bear that existed in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Miocene period, about 23–5.3 million years ago (Mya), existing for roughly 17.7 million years. The genus apparently dispersed from Asia into North America about 20 Mya, becoming the earliest member of the subfamily Ursinae in the New World. Qiu points out that if a questionable 29 million-year-old specimen of Ursavus reported in North America is validated, Ursavus may have evolved in North America and dispersed westward into Asia. The higher number of fossils in Europe grading toward eastern Asia make the westward dispersal unlikely.
| Ursavus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Cast skull of Ursavus tedfordi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Tribe: | †Ursavini |
| Genus: | †Ursavus Schlosser, 1899 |
| Type species | |
| †Ursavus brevirhinus Hofmann, 1887 | |
| Species | |
| |
U. elmensis, also known as the "dawn bear" is generally taken to be the earliest undisputed bear species.
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