This is a 20,000 year old world class specimen cave bear paw, unearthed in the Carpathian Mountain caves in the area of Brasov or Kronstads, Romania.
 
Cave bears existed during the Pleistocene era which began around 2.6 million years ago. Cave bears are thought to have become extinct around 24,000 years ago, so this fossil dates sometime around then.
 
Larger than the Russian bear, the mail cave bear grew to 10 feet and weighed up to 2,000 pounds.
 
Early discoveries of Cave bear skeletal remains, found in the caves of Central Europe, were thought to be from unicorns and dragons as well as bear.  Bones were considered to be of medicinal value and were pulverized and used in pharmacies for potions and elixirs.

 
Since the Cave bear was declared a National Treasure by Romania, no more of these fossils will be legally released from its border.
 
All the bones have been attached together so that it sits as a single, large specimen, and the fossil surface features fantastic bone detail.
 
This is a fantastic centerpiece for a fossil collection!