The Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus sp.) is a genus of extinct bears that lived in North America from approximately 11,000 years earlier in the Pleistocene period. It was the earliest North American bear and the largest in California. The bear could run up to 40 miles an hour and scare off or threaten other competitors from prey. To survive, the Short-Faced Bear has been estimated to have had to eat 35 pounds of meat each day. The Short-Faced Bear would weigh 2,000 pounds, for comparison, a male grizzly weighs approximately 600 pounds.
Male Short-Faced Bears had a shoulder height between 5’-6’ (1.52-1.83 m )and a weight in the range of 1750-2200 lb (794-998 kg). The shoulder heights of females were between 4’-5’ (1.22-1.52 m) with weights from 650-900 lb (295-408 kg). The Short-Faced Bear had an overall body length of roughly 6’9”-9’6” (2.06-2.9 m) and an upright standing height of 8’-12’ (2.5-3.66 m).
The Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus sp.) is a genus of extinct bears that lived in North America from approximately 11,000 years earlier in the Pleistocene period. It was the earliest North American bear and the largest in California. The bear could run up to 40 miles an hour and scare off or threaten other competitors from prey. To survive, the Short-Faced Bear has been estimated to have had to eat 35 pounds of meat each day. The Short-Faced Bear would weigh 2,000 pounds, for comparison, a male grizzly weighs approximately 600 pounds.
Male Short-Faced Bears had a shoulder height between 5’-6’ (1.52-1.83 m )and a weight in the range of 1750-2200 lb (794-998 kg). The shoulder heights of females were between 4’-5’ (1.22-1.52 m) with weights from 650-900 lb (295-408 kg). The Short-Faced Bear had an overall body length of roughly 6’9”-9’6” (2.06-2.9 m) and an upright standing height of 8’-12’ (2.5-3.66 m).
