• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Nature World Today

Nature World Today

Nature's Best Site

  • Top Stories
  • Environment
  • Science
  • Climate
  • Animals
  • Biology
  • Energy
  • Physics
  • Health

Ancient Bear-Like Species Might Have Had a Sweet Tooth, Study Reports

July 4, 2023 by Joseph Scalise

The remains of an ancient bear discovered in Canada’s High Arctic could shed light on how modern bears came to be, according to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The bones come from a close relative of modern bears known as Protarctos abstrusus. The extinct mammal — which lived 3.5 million years ago — was slightly smaller than the modern black bear and had a mix of both primitive and modern dental characteristics. Such features are important because it shows the species served as a transitional period between ancient and modern bears. 

“This is evidence of the most northerly record for primitive bears, and provides an idea of what the ancestor of modern bears may have looked like,” said lead author Xiaoming Wang, head of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, according to Science Daily. “Just as interesting is the presence of dental caries, showing that oral infections have a long evolutionary history in the animals, which can tell us about their sugary diet, presumably from berries.”

Editorial content

In the study, a group of scientists from the National History Museum of Los Angeles and the Canadian Museum of Nature spent 20 years extracting the ancient bones from Ellesmere Island. They then analyzed the remains from the bear’s skull, jaw, and teeth.

That showed that, unlike most bear species, P. abstrusus could exploit the harsh, unforgiving northern forest environments. As a result, the ability to exist so high up may have characterized the ursine lineage and could reveal how it developed over time.

The specimen uncovered in the research had significant tooth decay as well. That suggests that bears’ distinct taste for sweet berries developed millions of years ago. Such information gives new insight into both the large mammals and their early ancestors.

“We know that modern bears consume sugary fruits in the fall to promote fat accumulation that allows for winter survival via hibernation,” said study co-author Natalia Rybczynski, a researcher at the Canadian Museum of Nature, according to UPI. “The dental cavities in Protarctos suggest that consumption of sugar-rich foods like berries, in preparation for winter hibernation, developed early in the evolution of bears as a survival strategy.”

Filed Under: Science

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. fNx1xdd2ra says

    October 30, 2024 at 1:03 am

    前往 Telegram 官方网站,选择适合的操作系统(如 Windows、macOS、Android、iOS 等),并下载应用程序。Telegram中文

Primary Sidebar

More to See

48 Interesting Bits of Trivia to Impress Your Friends With

November 14, 2024 By Sarah Barber

50 Times People Spotted Something Unique and Had to Share It Online

November 11, 2024 By Sarah Barber

48 Characters Found in Pop Culture That Are Based on Real People

October 22, 2024 By Sarah Barber

58 Times Expectations Exceeded Reality in the Best Way

October 22, 2024 By Sarah Barber

30 Logo Designs That Should Never Have Made It Out of the Brainstorming Session

October 22, 2024 By Sarah Barber

52 Weird Things People Found When Thrift Shopping

October 22, 2024 By Sarah Barber

Footer

About Us

Founded in 2018, At Nature World Today our goal is to enrich and brighten up your day with interesting stories, amusing photos, and viral topics. If you’re looking to take a break from everyday routine, you’ve reached the right place!

Send tips to [email protected]. Comments and feedback can be sent to [email protected].

  • Terms of Service
  • natureworldtoday.com Privacy Notice
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Search

Copyright © 2025 · natureworldtoday.com