Here are the largest predators ever to have lived in North America.
With ecosystems as varied as oceans, plains and frozen tundras, North America is home to some giant and ferocious predators. But these modern creatures — including alligators, great white sharks and polar bears — look minuscule next to the continent’s slew of ancient predators. So, what are the largest predators that have ever lived in North America? As for furry animals, North America’s largest predatory mammal was probably the massive short-faced bear ( Arctodus simus), said Ross MacPhee, senior curator of mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Sometimes affectionately called the « bulldog bear, » this now-extinct creature had a signature short, broad muzzle. It stood around 5.5 feet (1.6 meters) tall at the shoulder and over 11 feet (3.4 m) on its lanky hind legs, according to the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. It can be difficult for scientists to gauge the exact body weight of an extinct species, because they have to extrapolate those numbers using existing species as benchmarks, MacPhee told Live Science in an email. However, paleontologists comfortably estimate that the short-faced bear probably weighed around 1,540 pounds (700 kilograms). Modern polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) aren’t too far off — the largest males stand around 5 feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder and weigh around 1,300 pounds (600 kg), according to Polar Bears International. Related: Why do animals hibernate? Short-faced bears went extinct about 11,000 years ago, around the end of the last ice age. To find a more massive land predator, we’ll have to travel further back in time. The largest predatory North American dinosaur is also the continent’s most famous: the king, Tyrannosaurus rex. During the late Cretaceous period, about 100 million to 66 million years ago, North America was a land of monsters.
