Short-faced bear skeleton (cast), Arctodus simus

Common Name: Short-faced bear skeleton
Scientific Name: Arctodus simus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Image Number: ROM2007_9476_2

Description:
The extinct bear Arctodus was the largest land carnivore in North America during the Ice Ages. It was also larger than any living bear. Its teeth indicate that it was a meat-eater, while its long, slender legs suggest that it was a running animal - a formidable predator. Presumably it fed on large plant-eating mammals such as horses or camels, and when these species disappeared about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, so did Arctodus.