Ursus (genus)

Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus )

The genus Ursus is a taxon in the family of bears ( Ursidae ).

Today's representatives

The following extant species are counted to the genus Ursus:

• Brown bear ( Ursus arctos)
• Polar bear or polar bear (Ursus maritimus )
• American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
• Asiatic Black Bear or Asiatic (Ursus thibetanus )

• The membership of the sun bear (often in a separate genus Helarctos ) and the sloth bears (often in a separate genus Melursus ) is controversial.

These types mentioned six simultaneously form the subfamily Ursinae within the bears. Tribal History, the two Schwarzbärarten be sister. It is the same with ice and brown bear, which have evolved from a common ancestor to separate sister species. Earlier assumptions, the polar bear is only a comparatively young, special line of brown bears ( which thereby would be paraphyletic ), according to recent findings based on misinterpretation of undetected hybridization ( with introgression ).

Extinct representatives

Extinct members of this genus include:

• Ursus minimus, the earliest known members of this genus, a relatively kleinwüchsiges animal from the Pliocene
• Ursus etruscus who already resembled the modern species to the urtümlicheren teeth
• Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus )
• Deninger - cave bear (Ursus deningeri ), a close relative of the cave bear
• Atlasbär (Ursus arctos crowtheri ), the only African Bear, a subspecies of the brown bear, extinct in the late 19th century, partly as a distinct species (Ursus crowtheri ) is considered