The Atlas Bear (Ursus arctos crowtheri) was a subspecies of the Brown Bear, but sometimes consiered a distinct species. It was Africa's only native bear. Once inhabiting the Atlas Mountains from Morocco to Libya, the animal is now thought to be extinct. Thousands of these bears were hunted for sport, venatio games, or execution of criminals ad bestias following the expansion of the Roman Empire into North Africa. The last known specimen was probably killed by hunters in the 1870s in the Tetuan Mountains of northern Morocco, although reports still surface.