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Giant short-faced bears (Arctodus simus) in Pleistocene Florida USA, a substantial range extension

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Blaine W. Schubert ,
Richard C. Hulbert JR. ,
Bruce J. Macfadden ,
Michael Searle  and
Seina Searle
Blaine W. Schubert
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences and Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, Box 70357, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City 37614,
Richard C. Hulbert JR.
Affiliation:
Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Florida Museum of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, Box 117800, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611
Bruce J. Macfadden
Affiliation:
Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Florida Museum of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, Box 117800, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611
Michael Searle
Affiliation:
2407 Tangerine Hill Court, Lutz, Florida 33549
Seina Searle
Affiliation:
2407 Tangerine Hill Court, Lutz, Florida 33549
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Abstract

Fossils of the giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus (Cope, 1879), have been recovered from over 100 localities in North America, extending from Mexico to Alaska and California to Virginia. Despite this large range, the species has never been recorded from the southeastern United States. The lesser short-faced bear, Arctodus pristinus Leidy, 1854 is well represented from this region, particularly Florida, but all known occurrences are late Pliocene – middle Pleistocene in age (about 2.5 to 0.3 Ma). Differentiating A. simus from A. pristinus can be difficult because large individuals of A. pristinus overlap in size with small individuals of A. simus, and there are few morphological differences. However, these two taxa can be clearly separated based on the relative proportions of their molars and premolars. Two Pleistocene records of A. simus representing a minimum of three individuals from the Withlacoochee River drainage of central Florida are reported here, substantially extending the distribution of this massive bear into southeastern North America. A late Pleistocene age for these occurrences is corroborated by an associated Rancholabrean fauna and rare earth elemental analyses. One of the reported individuals is quite large, supporting the hypothesis of extreme sexual dimorphism in A. simus and rejecting a hypothesis of two subspecies.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 84 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 79 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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