Demythologizing<i>Arctodus simus</i>, the ‘short-faced’ long-legged and predaceous bear that never was

Figueirido, Borja; Pérez-Claros, Juan A.; Torregrosa, Vanessa; Martín‐Serra, Alberto; Palmqvist, Paul

doi:10.1080/02724630903416027

Cited by 43 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…We did not use the stepwise discriminant analysis 60 because we have more cases per group than predictor variables; 12 variables or six bi-dimensional landmarks digitized in 35 pounce-pursuit predators, 30 ambush predators and 22 pursuit predators (Table 1). Thus, there is no statistical reason to perform a stepwise approach instead of the direct method because CVA only tends to over fit differences in those cases where there are more variables than the number of cases within groups 61 .…”

Section: U O N a Lp In U S C An Is M Es Om El As Ca Nis Ad Us Tus Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat changes and changing predatory habits in North American fossil canids

et al. 2015

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The spread of open grassy habitats and the evolution of long-legged herbivorous mammals with high-crowned cheek teeth have been viewed as an example of coevolution. Previous studies indicate that specialized predatory techniques in carnivores do not correlate with the spread of open habitats in North America. Here we analyse new data on elbow-joint shape for North American canids over the past B37 million years and show that incipiently specialized species first appeared along with the initial spread of open habitats in the late Oligocene. Elbow-joint morphologies indicative of the behavior of modern pounce-pursuit predators emerged by the late Miocene coincident with a shift in plant communities from C 3 to C 4 grasses. Finally, pursuit canids first emerged during the Pleistocene. Our results indicate that climate change and its impact on vegetation and habitat structure can be critical for the emergence of ecological innovations and can alter the direction of lineage evolution.

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Section: U O N a Lp In U S C An Is M Es Om El As Ca Nis Ad Us Tus Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat changes and changing predatory habits in North American fossil canids

et al. 2015

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“…simus is a topic of debate (e.g., [10], [11]). The giant short-faced bear was initially proposed to be an active predator, running down prey with its long, gracile limbs [12], and capturing/killing victims with large bite forces produced in its short muzzle [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was the Giant Short-Faced Bear a Hyper-Scavenger? A New Approach to the Dietary Study of Ursids Using Dental Microwear Textures

Donohue

DeSantis

Schubert³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

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Dramatic environmental changes associated with global cooling since the late Miocene, and the onset of glacial-interglacial cycles in the Pleistocene served as a backdrop to the evolutionary radiation of modern bears (family Ursidae). These environmental changes likely prompted changes in food availability, and triggered dietary adaptations that served as motive forces in ursid evolution. Here, we assess correspondence of dental microwear textures of first and second lower molars with diet in extant ursids. We use the resulting baseline data to evaluate the hypothesis that the Pleistocene giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, was a bone consumer and hyper-scavenger at Rancho La Brea, California, USA. Significant variation along the tooth row is consistent with functional differentiation, with the second molar serving as a better dietary recorder than the first. Results evince significant variation among species: carnivorous and omnivorous ursids (Ursus maritimus, U. americanus) have significantly higher and more variable complexity (Asfc) than more herbivorous ones (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Tremarctos ornatus, U. malayanus), and A. melanoleuca is differentiated from U. maritimus and U. americanus by significantly higher and more variable anisotropy (epLsar) values. Arctodus simus from Rancho La Brea exhibits wear attributes most comparable to its closest living relative (T. ornatus), which is inconsistent with hard-object (e.g., bone) consumption, and the hypothesis that short-faced bears were bone consuming hyper-scavengers across their range.

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“…We conclude that wolves scavenging the carcasses of very large Pleistocence herbivores (especially mammoths, perhaps also horses and bison), in competition with armed human hunters, might have been subjected to the same kind of selective forces that naturally generated short-faced wolves in Beringia during the LGM (Leonard et al, 2007). Beringian wolves appear to have had competition for the carcasses of large herbivores from another formidably-sized scavenger e Arctodus simus, the short-faced bear (Figueirido et al, 2010;Matheus, 1995). These ursid scavengers would have been at least as lethal competitors as humans armed with spears.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Comments on Germonpré et al., Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 2009 “Fossil dogs and wolves from Palaeolithic sites in Belgium, the Ukraine and Russia: osteometry, ancient DNA and stable isotopes”, and Germonpré, Lázkičková-Galetová, and Sablin, Journal of Archaeological Science 39, 2012 “Palaeolithic dog skulls at the Gravettian Předmostí site, the Czech Republic”

Crockford

Kuzmin

2012

Journal of Archaeological Science

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DemythologizingArctodus simus, the ‘short-faced’ long-legged and predaceous bear that never was

Cited by 43 publications

References 49 publications

Habitat changes and changing predatory habits in North American fossil canids

Habitat changes and changing predatory habits in North American fossil canids

Was the Giant Short-Faced Bear a Hyper-Scavenger? A New Approach to the Dietary Study of Ursids Using Dental Microwear Textures

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