Cave Bear, either of two extinct bear species, Ursus spelaeus and U. deningeri, notable for their habit of inhabiting caves, where their remains are frequently preserved. They are best known from late Pleistocene cave deposits (the Pleistocene Epoch lasted from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago), although they can be traced back to Late Pliocene times (the Pliocene Epoch spanned from about 5.3 million to about 2.6 million years ago). In European cave deposits the remains of more than 100,000 cave bears have been found.