Ancient bear had the strongest bite (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Ella Davies
Reporter, BBC Nature

The largest bear that ever lived also had the strongest bite of any land mammal, say scientists.

Agriotherium africanum was a giant short-faced bear that became extinct five million years ago.

Reconstructions of the carnivore's skull revealed that it was well adapted to resist the forces involved in eating large prey.

By comparing the skulls of several species, scientists also found polar bears to have surprisingly weak bites.

The findings were published in the Journal of Zoology.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15559929

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00862.x/abstract

[shraby]

1. Still wouldn't care to be bitten by a polar bear. Methinks

that would hurt.

[MADem]

2. Grrrrrr!!!! Grrrrrrrr!! I don't think I'd like to be bitten by one of the wimpy bears of today,

either. Or the weakling polar bear!

[gtar100]

3. I guess an important point here is that despite having the strongest bite,

the bear still ended up extinct. The strong do not always survive. Adaptability is probably a trait that lends itself to long-term survival and that doesn't require being the "best" or "strongest" at anything in particular. Just sufficient.

[frogmarch]

4. Its prey may have disappeard

which in turn caused it to go extinct.

Another giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus lived in North America (from Alaska clear down to Mississippi) from around 800,000 to 12,500 years ago. Standing about 5’9” at the shoulder on all fours and about 13 ‘ when standing upright, it may have been even larger than Agriotherium africanum. An even larger species of giant short-faced bear, Arctodus pristinus, lived in South America during the Ice Age, and is believed by some paleontologists to have been the largest bear that ever lived.

A 26,000 year-old skull of Arctodus simus was found at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota. It probably became trapped in the sinkhole when it came to feed on the trapped mammoths.

Arctodus simus was a deadly predator. Instead of lumbering as modern bears do, it was a swift runner. Its feet pointed straight forward instead of inward - in other words, it wasn't pigeon-toed as bears are today. Paleo Indians probably lived in fear of this bear. Some archaeologists think the bear may have kept humans from populating North and South America earlier than they did, since the earliest definite signs of humans in the New World have been shown to be 12,500 years old, which coincides with the time Arctodus simus disappeared.

Agriotherium africanum was one big dude too! Even little grizzlies scare me. :scared:

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Grizzlies can do 45 mph flat-out ... don't be fooled by that lumbering gait.

I've seen footage of a grizzly trying to run down an elk. The elk was more agile in the turns, but the grizzly held its own in straight sprints. :scared:

[frogmarch]

6. Yikes!

:scared: