Pleistocene mammals of the Edmonton area, Alberta. Part I. The carnivores

1994/02/01 by James A. Burns, Robert R. Young · 3 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

paper · doi:10.1139/e94-036

openalex publication_date 1994/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11

Abstract

Late Pleistocene fossils have been recovered sporadically in the Edmonton area, in central Alberta, for many years but there has been little work in determining their age. Fossils from quarries in North Saskatchewan River terraces and buried valley gravels are recognized as Late Pleistocene (mid-Wisconsinan) and early Holocene taxa, and numerous 14 C dates on mammalian remains now support the assessment. The mammalian fauna consists of at least 16 taxa, including mostly grazing herbivores, but also three carnivores: Canis cf. Canis lupus (gray wolf), Arctodus simus (giant short-faced bear), and Panthera leo atrox (Pleistocene lion). The carnivores are first records for the region, and Arctodus is a first record for Alberta.

Citations

• A Giant Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus) from the Pleistocene of Northern Utah
• A new record of giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, from western North America with a re-evaluation of its paleobiology

Cited by

• Giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) from late Wisconsinan deposits at Cowichan Head, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
• The Ground Sloth, <i>Megalonyx</i>, from Pleistocene Deposits of the Old Crow Basin, Yukon, Canada
• Arctodus [wikipedia]