Kalifano’s Prehistoric Cave Bear Finds a Home at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum
A towering, ten-foot-tall, fossil cave bear skeleton is now on display at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, thanks to a generous donation from Ashraf (Alex) Khalaf, Owner of Kalifano, a Las Vegas-based merchant of one-of-a-kind fossils and works of art made from crystals, gemstones, recycled metal, and more.
“Our Islamic faith teaches us at an early age the best nourishment for our soul is when we help educate and donate items most dear to us. My life journey has been decorated with one-of-a-kind fossils and minerals that my father taught me to love, and one of my favorite specimens is 106” Cave Bear fossils,” Khalaf stated. “We recognize COVID-19 has been especially difficult for museums like the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. So, we wanted to do our best to help support LVNHM because it is the place that helps educate so much of the youth in Southern Nevada.”
The cave bear fossil skeleton gifted to the Museum came from the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. Prehistoric Cave Bears lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene Ice Age. Their closest relatives are North American brown bears, also known as “grizzly bears.” As the name suggests, cave bear skeletons have mostly been found in European caves, where they hibernated.
The exhibit is included with museum admission. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is open daily from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Tickets are available online at www.lvnhm.org or at the door.
About the Las Vegas Natural History Museum:
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum was established in 1989 by a small group of citizens who knew the community would benefit from the educational resources it could provide. After very humble beginnings, this private non-profit museum is now a Smithsonian Affiliate, accredited with the American Alliance of Museums, and is a federal and state repository for fossils and artifacts. From the desert to the ocean, from Nevada to Africa, from prehistoric times to the present, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum takes visitors of all ages on a learning adventure around the world.
Please visit lvnhm.org, follow on Facebook at Las Vegas Natural History Museum; and @LVHNMuseum on Twitter and Instagram. For additional information, please call (702) 384-3466.
About Kalifano:
Kalifano began in the summer of 1912 when Abdullah Khalaf immigrated through Ellis Island from Palestine in pursuit of his American dream. Over 100 years later, much has changed but many things remain very much the same. Kalifano was founded on the idea that there is no substitute for hard work, excellent quality, and superb customer service. Though the product lines have evolved from undergarments to recycled metal sculptures, and the business moved from New York’s Financial District to the Las Vegas Strip, Kalifano is still a family business.
Please visit kalifano.com for more information, follow on Facebook at Kalifano; @kalifano on Instagram; and @AKalifano on Twitter.