Short-faced Bear

ISM diorama

A life-sized reconstruction of Arctodus simus, the giant short-faced bear, is shown here in a diorama of the glacial-forest tundra of western Illinois 24,000 years ago, during the height of the Wisconsin glaciation. Also shown are an Arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryii, in the foreground) and the tusk of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius, in the middle ground). The boulders are “erratics,” glacially-transported igneous and metamorphic rocks originating in Canada and states north of Illinois. The diorama is featured in “Frozen Illinois,” part of Changes, the Illinois State Museum’s new natural history hall.

The giant short-faced bear (scientific name Arctodus simus) was an unusually long-legged, short-bodied animal with a short face and broad muzzle. Usually viewed to be highly predatory, Arctodus simus would have been the most powerful predator of the American Ice Age. It’s very long legs would have resulted in a fleetness of foot notable in a bear. Its feet are also distinctive. The toes face forward, rather than toe-inward, as in other bears.

Short-faced Bear Finds in the Midwestern U.S.

Remains of the giant short-faced bear are commonly found in caves, and notable among these are caves in the Ozarks Plateau of Missouri and Arkansas.

Extinction of the Short-faced Bear

The cause of extinction of the short-faced bear approximately 13,400 years ago is believed to have been competition with invading brown bears (varieties of the species Ursus arctos, including the grizzly bear) that are also predatory in nature. This extinction by competitive exclusion is supported by the fact that Ursus arctos succeeded Arctodus simus over much of its distributional range.