Approximate Dates of Origin of Bear Species
from Bears of the World by Lance Craighead, Ph.D. SPECIES DATE OF ORIGIN FROM FOSSIL EVIDENCE DATE OF ORIGIN FROM GENETIC EVIDENCE AREA OF ORIGIN Panda Bear Superfamily Ailuropodinae >…
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Bear Evolution
Why Are Black Bears so Timid?
The Pleistocene Ice Age was a dangerous time for black bears across North America. For hundreds of thousands of years—until about 10,000 years ago—North America was home to saber-toothed cats,…
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Bear Evolution
Early bears Bears are the youngest of the carnivore families, having arisen from doglike ancestors during the Eocene Epoch 55 million to 38 million years ago. The earliest bears had…
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How Big Was This Short-Faced Bear?
On 4 feet, he was 5½ to 6 feet at the shoulders. With the front legs straight, the skeleton is 66 inches to the top of the shoulder blades (the…
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The Giant Short-Faced Bear
Arctodus simus The Fastest Running Bear That Ever Lived Also called the bulldog bear, the giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) was undoubtedly the fastest running bear that ever lived. Rangier…
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