Arctotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Arctotherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 4.7 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Named by | Bravard 1857 |
| Fossil records | 48 occurrences at 22 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile |
| Rock formations | txn:41301, Tarija, Nuapua, Lujan, Cuscatlán, Tezanos Pinto |
About Arctotherium
Arctotherium ("bear beast") is an extinct genus of short-faced bears endemic to Central and South America (Neotropics) from the Late Pliocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene. Arctotherium migrated from North America to South America during the Great American Interchange, following the formation of the Isthmus of Panama during the late Pliocene.
The earliest recovered remains of Arctotherium are from Central America and northern South America, with specimens referred to Arctotherium c.f. wingei and Arctotherium sp. from the Plio-Pleistocene boundary of Venezuela, and Arctotherium sp. from the Early Pleistocene of El Salvador, dated to between 3Ma and 1.8Ma. Arctotherium reappears later as Arctotherium angustidens ca. 1Ma, which subsequently remains as the only confirmed species for the rest of the Early Pleistocene and early Middle Pleistocene. Around 400,000 years ago, Arctotherium angustidens is replaced in the fossil record by all other species of Arctotherium. Correspondingly, Arctotherium is known from the Blancan and Rancholabrean faunal stages in North America, and the Marplatan, Ensenadan and Lujanian faunal stages of South America.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Arctotherium (revision 1380609936), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q2076664.
