“Bears are not carnivores in the strictest sense like a cat where they consume a high-protein diet,” said lead author Charles Robbins, a Washington State University wildlife biology professor. “In zoos forever, whether it’s polar bears, brown bears or sloth bears, the recommendation has been to feed them as if they are high-protein carnivores. When you do that, you kill them slowly.”
Increasing evidence that bears are not carnivores
The lone specimen of giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) in this study had a diet similar to the striped skunk. Strange as it might seem, this giant bear was eating insects, mice, and fruit.
This omnivore result ties in with a finding in a megafauna paper mentioned before here.
This refutes the long held theory that Arctodus simus was a predator. It is kind of too bad as Arctodus simus was a total bad ass in the imagination before. As the pic above shows, it still would not be a good idea to mess with it though. Grizzlies are noted for their aggressive behavior on occasion. It was thought, or used to be thought, that another predator made them that way in self defense. Arctodus simus was high on my list of possible candidates.
I dont know about that t Grizziles eat bees and ants but nobody accuses them of being edentates.The cursorial adaptations of Arctodus aren’t needed to run down the food of a spotted skunk..
Yes, a single data a point is not conclusive. More data is always welcome.