<p>The fossils of the giant and the most powerful land carnivore of its time were unearthed during the construction of a hospital in La Plata City, Argentina.<br /><br />Scientists who examined the remains believe they are of a South American giant short-faced bear, called Arctotherium angustidens, the earliest and largest member of its genus.<br /><br />This titan, according to them, lived between 2 million to 500,000 years ago, with its closest living relative being the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) of South America, LiveScience reported.<br /><br />Based on measurements of the fossil's leg bones and equations used to estimate body mass, the researchers said the bear would have stood at least 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall on its hind legs and would have weighed between 3,500 and 3,855 pounds (1,588 and 1,749 kg).<br /><br />In comparison, "the largest record for a living bear is a male polar bear that obtained the weight of about 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)," said Leopoldo Soibelzon, a paleontologist at the La Plata Museum.<br /><br />"During its time, this bear was the largest and most powerful land predator in the world," said study co-author Blaine Schubert, a paleontologist at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.<br /><br />"It's always extremely exciting to find something that's the largest of its class -- and not just a little bit larger, but quite a bit larger." Although this bear probably had an omnivorous diet, flesh likely dominated. Megafauna or large creatures likely played an important role in what it ate, they said.<br /><br />"This does not imply that active hunting was its primary strategy for feeding, since its large size and great power may have permitted the bear to fight for prey hunted by other Pleistocene carnivores such as the saber-toothed cat," Schubert said.<br /><br />"Scavenging megaherbivore carcasses was probably another frequent way of feeding." The research team's analysis of the bear's bones suggested that it was an old male that survived a number of serious injuries during life. These might have come from battles with other males, while hunting megafauna, or during fights with other carnivores over a carcass.<br /><br />According to the researchers, when the bears arrived in South America some 2.6 million years ago, there were few other large predators at the time. Taking advantage of the large amount of prey, the species grew hugely and eventually became extinct after more carnivores evolved in South America, they said. The new findings were published in the Journal of Paleontology</p>
<p>The fossils of the giant and the most powerful land carnivore of its time were unearthed during the construction of a hospital in La Plata City, Argentina.<br /><br />Scientists who examined the remains believe they are of a South American giant short-faced bear, called Arctotherium angustidens, the earliest and largest member of its genus.<br /><br />This titan, according to them, lived between 2 million to 500,000 years ago, with its closest living relative being the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) of South America, LiveScience reported.<br /><br />Based on measurements of the fossil's leg bones and equations used to estimate body mass, the researchers said the bear would have stood at least 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall on its hind legs and would have weighed between 3,500 and 3,855 pounds (1,588 and 1,749 kg).<br /><br />In comparison, "the largest record for a living bear is a male polar bear that obtained the weight of about 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)," said Leopoldo Soibelzon, a paleontologist at the La Plata Museum.<br /><br />"During its time, this bear was the largest and most powerful land predator in the world," said study co-author Blaine Schubert, a paleontologist at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.<br /><br />"It's always extremely exciting to find something that's the largest of its class -- and not just a little bit larger, but quite a bit larger." Although this bear probably had an omnivorous diet, flesh likely dominated. Megafauna or large creatures likely played an important role in what it ate, they said.<br /><br />"This does not imply that active hunting was its primary strategy for feeding, since its large size and great power may have permitted the bear to fight for prey hunted by other Pleistocene carnivores such as the saber-toothed cat," Schubert said.<br /><br />"Scavenging megaherbivore carcasses was probably another frequent way of feeding." The research team's analysis of the bear's bones suggested that it was an old male that survived a number of serious injuries during life. These might have come from battles with other males, while hunting megafauna, or during fights with other carnivores over a carcass.<br /><br />According to the researchers, when the bears arrived in South America some 2.6 million years ago, there were few other large predators at the time. Taking advantage of the large amount of prey, the species grew hugely and eventually became extinct after more carnivores evolved in South America, they said. The new findings were published in the Journal of Paleontology</p>