Short-Faced Bear Colouring

The giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, was one of the most imposing mammals of Ice Age North America. Fossils have been found from Alaska and Canada south through the United States and into Mexico. The species lived during the Pleistocene and disappeared near the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 11,000 years ago. It had an unusually broad, short muzzle and very long legs. A large adult could look a standing person in the eye while walking on all fours, and an upright bear would have been much taller. Its exact weight varied across its enormous range, but the biggest northern individuals may have approached a tonne. Fossils cannot tell us its normal lifespan, and no named last bear is known. Its long limbs were its special feature. They could carry the bear efficiently over open country while its large nasal passage supported a keen sense of smell. Scientists have debated whether it was mainly an active hunter, a powerful scavenger, or a flexible feeder that did both. Evidence does not support a simple story of a monster chasing everything it saw. It probably searched widely for meat and may also have displaced smaller predators from carcasses. The extinction cause is likewise not certain. Rapid warming changed tundra-steppe habitats, many large prey species vanished, and people and other carnivores competed for food. These pressures together may have been more important than any single cause. On this page the bear is calm, so young artists can study its tall build. Colour the shaggy coat brown, dark chocolate, black-brown, cinnamon or even pale blond, as modern bears show many shades. Use a lighter cream on the muzzle and inner ears, then add dark grey or brown to the nose and claws. The grass can be straw yellow, olive or spring green, with a brown-grey rocky ridge and dark green conifer. Try long strokes down the legs to emphasise their height and short curved strokes around the thick neck fur. Leave a few white highlights on the back and paws. The open background should stay light so the bear's long legs, short face and powerful body remain easy to recognise.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.