Arctotherium (name meaning "Bear Beast"), also known as The Great Bear, is a genus of large prehistoric bear that originated during the Early Pleistocene epoch in what is now North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The apex predator of the Ice Age, Arctotherium was also the largest bear species that ever existed as well as arguably the largest terrestrial Carnivora of all time.
Thought to have been extinct for 10,000 years, there are still some that remain alive on Primeval Island.
Facts[]
Era & Range[]
Arctotherium lived in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch, around 2 million years ago, and died out at the end of the Ice Age around 10,000 years ago. Undoubtedly the apex predator of the Ice Age, it lived alongside animals like the Dire Wolf, Camelops, the American Lion, Megaloceros, and the Woolly Mammoth and Columbian Mammoth.
Dsicovery & Region[]
Arctotherium was discovered and named by Hermann Burmeister in 1879.
Physical Attributes[]
More powerfully built than any other species of bear, physically, Arctotherium looked very similar to modern Kodiak bears, only much larger and more muscular. In fact, Arctotherium was also the largest species of bear ever discovered, standing 6 – 7 feet (2 – 2.2 m) on all four legs, reaching a rearing height of 11 – 14 feet (3.4 – 4.3 m) tall, and weighing around 1 – 2 tons (2,000 – 4,000 lbs). This makes Arctotherium arguably the largest and most powerful terrestrial mammalian carnivore of all time, larger than the largest modern Polar bear and rivaled by Andrewsarchus and Hyaenodon.
Despite their large size, Arctotherium was a very fast animal, able to reach speeds in excess of 45 mph (72 km/h) and run over a long distance. This is because their front and rear legs were equal in length as opposed to even the largest modern bears in which their front legs are shorter than their back legs, which allows them to reach speeds of up to 35 mph (53 km/h) and run over a short distance. Arctotherium was also an exceptional swimmer, much like modern polar bears.
Unlike some bears, Arctotherium did not have fatty humps on their backs. They also exhibited major sexual dimorphism, as the female of the species was much smaller in size than the quite large male. Although Arctotherium was gigantic, it was incapable of climbing trees like most modern bears.
Regardless of gender or size, Arctotherium was a very large mammalian carnivore. They had long arms armed with sharp claws and, much like Tyrannosaurus rex, they also had a mouth of bone-crushing teeth, though not quite as strong. Arctotherium also had a thick hide which kept them warm during the winter. However, despite these attributes, Arctotherium did have one weakness; their underside. Whenever they stood on their back legs, another animal could attack them at their underside. Because of their giant size, Arctotherium were also very physically strong animals. All these attributes make Arctotherium the most powerful terrestrial mammalian carnivore of all time.
Behavior & Traits[]
Like many mammalian carnivores, Arctotherium was both a social and solitary animal. As with many species of bears, Arctotherium lived in large and fairly deep caves. The caves would start out as a relatively long and curvey walkway while the main section would be a large den where the bear would sleep or eat. The females were highly protective of their cubs and the males were known to be cannibalistic, eating a bear cub if they were ever hungry. Males had large territories of around 200 square miles (518 square kilometers).
As with most other bears, though hypercarnivorous, even Arctotherium was also a generalist feeder, not being a very carnivorous bear and, therefore, eating berries and vegetation, as well as scavenging carrion, and killing other animals. If necessary, they would even hunt larger prey, even ones as mighty as the Mammoth. In winter months, they would hibernate in caves like modern bears. And in order to hibernate in winter, they would eat berries and early spring vegetation as well as fish to last them several months.
When hunting, Arctotherium would stalk its prey for several minutes before attacking. When ready to attack, they would erupt out of their hiding spots, such as bushes and trees, and physically overpower and attack their prey with their teeth and claws until the prey was dead. After making a kill, Arctotherium would cover their food with leaves and dirt. They would then leave for a while, come back at a later time, and finish their meal.
If an Arctotherium was found in a cave and awoken, it would chase away, not hunt, whatever it was that disturbed it in its sleep. But either way, whether chasing an intruder, hunting prey or even fighting a rival, like all bears, Arctotherium was able to rear up on its hind legs to intimate its opponents. Unlike most bears, Arctotherium couldn't climb trees. However, they didn't need to. Much like the sauropod dinosaurs, Arctotherium were able to use their raw physical strength to bring trees and certain rocks down.
Trivia[]
- The sound effects for Arctotherium are that of typical bear sound effects as well as bull, crocodile, elephant, lion, tiger, snake, and walrus sound effects.
- Arctotherium is the among largest terrestrial mammalian carnivores to be discovered, along with Andrewsarchus and Hyaenodon.
