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ULTRA RARE COMPLETE CLAW FROM GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR ARCTODUS Manatee County - Florida, U.S.A. PLEISTOCENE PERIOD (IRVINGTONIAN): 1.7 - 1 million years With this ultra-rare fossil claw comes the first opportunity we have had to offer a pristine specimen of the largest and most dangerous bear that ever lived on the planet. This is a complete and perfect claw from Arctodus pristinus, the largest and most dangerous of the Short Faced bears as well as the largest land predator that lived during the Early Pleistocene in North America. As an addition to any predator fossil collection, this certainly will be amongst your rarest specimens as very few fossils of ANY type are found or offered from this most dangerous and now extinct giant bear. Guaranteed NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. The most prized bear fossils are animal's weapons - its fangs and claws. Regardless of condition, fossils of this rare Ice Age apex predator would be a fossil worth bragging over but a large claw in such perfect condition as this makes it an especially desirable specimen. Fossils of short-faced bears are many, many times more rare than the classic European cave bear and Siberian Ice Age bear. Arctodus was a member of the Ursidae or bear family. This extinct beast is amongst the Tremarctine bears noted for their short snouts hence the name, 'Short-Faced Bear'. Three genera (listed in order of their emergence) once lived in North America - Plionarctos, Arctodus and Tremarctos. The Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only surviving member and lives today in the jungles of South America. All were active carnivorous predators that later evolved into the omnivorous bears of today. Arctodus was a massive and terrible beast, the largest bear that ever lived in North America and exceeding in size and ferocity living Kodiaks, Grizzlies and Brown Bears. During its reign on Earth, Arctodus was the largest land predator and an apex predator with no equal. When walking on all fours, the height of its shoulders would have been 5 feet and when standing on its hind legs, Arctodus would have towered 11 feet in height! Approximate weight would have been 1500 pounds. At a size LARGER than a modern Kodiak or Grizzly bear, Arctodus possessed a different body anatomy designed strictly for hunting and killing. Arctodus had longer limbs and a leaner body with forward facing toes allowing this monstrous beast to run at great speeds to chase down and kill prey. The massive skull of Arctodus shared features more akin to a lion's rather than a bear with its large canines, meat-shearing carnassial molars and wide, forward-facing eye sockets for better vision. Abnormally large nasal passages allowed this beast to move large volumes of oxygen allowing greater endurance in attack mode. Jaw and skull anatomy suggest musculature that equipped Arctodus with an extremely powerful killing bite. Overall, Arctodus was the largest, most powerful carnivore among the Pleistocene land mammals of North America. VERY EXOTIC CLAW FROM RARE ICE AGE MONSTER BEAR! - PERFECT COMPLETE CONDITION! 2.75" long SOLD LM49-006 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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