Arctodus

Name Meaning: Bear Tooth

Geologic Era: Pleistocene

Location Found: Hot Springs Mammoth site (specimen is a cast of fossil recovered there)

Estimated Range: North America (California to Florida)

Size: 12 feet tall (when on hind legs)

Extinction: Approximately 11,000 years ago

Shown below is the cast of a femur from Arctodus simus, or the giant short faced bear. This specimen was purchased at the Hot Springs Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota. If you have any interest in paleontology at all, I highly recommend paying that place a visit. The site is most known for mammoth remains (hence the name) but many other animals, including Arctodus, have been found there as well.

Arctodus was one of the largest terrestrial mammalian carnivores to ever exist. It was certainly larger than any other carnivore in its environment, and probably used that size to its advantage. Despite the long-legged appearance, Arctodus was not built to chase swift animals, but was rather an endurance predator. The behavior of this giant bear also included being a kleptoparasite. This feeding strategy involved stealing kills from other predators by intimidating them with its sheer size. Given that Arctodus could reach fifteen feet high with its arms outstretched, most other predators with even an ounce of sense would have backed down. Such behavior is documented in modern bears, so there is no reason to think Arctodus did not behave in a similar manner. Other than stealing kills, Arctodus probably ate whatever was available, including vegetation.

Arctodus is extinct, but it does have one living relative: the spectacled bear of South America. Sadly, this last member of the short faced bear family is threatened by human activity, especially poaching and conflicts with ranchers. The irony is, spectacled bears are primarily herbivorous, and are more likely to raid a field than actively attack livestock.

Image Credits:

Skeleton: By Riku64 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12132619

Life Reconstruction: By Sergiodlarosa – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11102191