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This bear was so massive that scientists believe it regularly weighed between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds, although newer estimates have brought down the upper end of that scale to around 3,500 pounds. The Arctotherium angustidens was isolated primarily to South America during the Pleistocene epoch 2.5 million to 11,000 years ago.
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This is quite simply, the largest bear ever discovered and by default, a contender for the largest carnivorous land mammal ever to live.
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History’s largest bear ( Arctotherium angustidens) A recreation of the ancient Arctotherium. The bears on this list either evolved into a smaller version, or simply died out altogether.Ĭould you imagine taking on one of these beasts during bear season? That. Much like our list of massive ancient deer however, it goes to show that after the ice age, size actually ended up being a disadvantage. Here is our list of five ancient, extinct bear species that would give modern bears a run of their money. Other predators might be quicker or even smarter, but beyond the dinosaurs, few land predators could boast to be as powerful as a bear. Then again, today’s bruins don’t have to carve out territory from other terrifying predators such as saber-toothed cats, packs of dire wolves, cave lions, and even massive carnivorous, cow-sized pigs that were more likely to charge you-and eat you-then run away.Īncient bears did all that and what’s more, they were usually the strongest of the strong. 5 Prehistoric Bear Species That Dwarf Modern BearsĬompared to prehistoric bear species, modern bears are relatively tame.