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Ursus americanus, black bear brain endocast

This is a brain endocast of the The American black bear. An endocast or endocranial cast is a cast made of the mold formed by the impression the brain makes on the inside of the neurocranium (braincase), providing a replica of the brain with most of the details of its outer surface. Endocasts can also form naturally, when sediments fill the empty skull, after which the skull is destroyed and the cast fossilized. Scientists are increasingly utilizing computerized tomography scanning technology to create digital endocasts without damaging valuable specimens. This gives a 3D representation of the brain. Brain size and complexity can then be determined. Endocasts were used for looking at the brains of homo sapiens to find hemispheric specialization.

PaleoClones can supply resin castings of brain casings from over 70 animals, both modern and extinct. These endocasts are made here in our workshop, pulled from original molds we've made from the inside of the skull. Each endocast has superb detail, and all are, of course, actual size.

The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Canada and Alaska south into Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This includes 41 of the 50 states and all Canadian provinces except Prince Edward Island. Populations in the east-central and southern United States remain in the protected mountains and woodlands of parks and preserves, though bears will occasionally wander outside the parks' boundaries and have set up new territories, in some cases on the margins of urban environments in recent years as their populations increase. Although there were probably once as many as two million black bears in North America long before European colonization, the population declined to a low of 200,000 as a result of habitat destruction and unrestricted hunting. By current estimates, more than 800,000 are living today on the continent.

The American Black Bear usually ranges in length from 59- 72 inches and typically stands about 31- 37 inches at the shoulder. Standing up on its hind feet, a black bear can be up to 7 feet tall. Males are 33% larger than females. Females weigh between 90 and 400 pounds; males weigh between 250 and 600 pounds). Adult black bears seldom exceed 660 pounds but exceptionally large males have been recorded from the wild at up to 95 inches long and at least 800 pounds. The biggest American black bear ever recorded was a male from North Carolina that weighed 880 pounds.