Arctodus, the Largest Bear that Ever Lived

Arctodus simus, the largest bear ever to walk on Earth, known as the short-faced or bulldog bear, weighed up to 2500 pounds and stood up to 4 meters (13 feet) tall on its hind legs and its head would be on a level with a 6 foot tall human's head when standing on all fours.

It lived in North America, wandering between Canada, California and Central Mexico, between 800,000 and 12,500 years ago and was the largest carnivore living on Earth at that time.

Arctodus simus was an obligate carnivore, meaning that it ate only meat, and did not rely on any vegetation for nutrition. Scientific studies of remains have shown this to be true, finding no evidence that the creature ever ate any vegetation and that it must have consumed around 16kg (35 pounds) of flesh per day to survive.

It was strong enough to kill a buffalo and may have fed on horses and antelopes as well.

Arctodus may have become extinct because its prey died out, because of competition from smaller brown bears that came to North America from Europe, and because it was hunted by humans.