
The height at the withers was 1.5-1.8 m (4.9 – 5.9 ft), which means that the average short-faced bear standing on four legs could meet a man’s eyes.Īt the paleontological site in Missouri – Riverbluff Cave – traces of bear claws at a height of 4.57 m (15 ft) were found, which suggests that the said individual may have been about 3.65 m (12 ft) high. Standing on the hind legs, it could reach 2.4-3 m (7.9 – 9.8 ft) in height, and the largest specimens could even be 3.4-3.7 m (11.2 – 12.1 ft). Short-faced bear Sizeīased on numerous finds, it has been estimated that the short-faced bear of the species Arctodus simus weighed about 900 kg (1984 lb), although some scientists say that its weight exceeded one ton. The original skeleton is in the Field Museum in Chicago, while museums in Indiana, Indianapolis, and Canada have casts of it. The largest, almost fully preserved skeleton of the Arctodus simus bear was discovered in Indiana. Its fossilized remains have been found at several paleontological sites in California. The species Arctodus simus appeared about 800,000 years ago from Alaska to the Mississippi. Short-faced bear Characteristic Appearance Unlike its larger relative, it appears to have preferred coastal forest formations. Most of its skeletons have been found in the state of Florida. The species Arctodus pristinus lived in the south of the continent, from Texas in the north to Mexico in the south. Stop – was it the largest for sure? About this in a moment. The former is considered to be one of the largest known predatory land mammals, and for many years the largest bear ever discovered. At that time, the most abundant brown bear population was located in what is now California. This prehistoric giant inhabited North America in the Pleistocene epoch from approx. Was a Short-faced bear the perfect killing machine? Classification However, some early giant carnivorous mammals such as Andrewsarchus, Sarkastodon, and Megistotherium appear to have been similar or even larger. It was believed to be one of the largest predatory mammals that lived on Earth during the Ice Age. It could be as fast as the best modern racehorses, and with physical strength and charisma, it was able to defeat the saber-toothed tiger or the American lion. An animal that, standing on two legs, could reach the first floor.
