Giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) from late Wisconsinan deposits at Cowichan Head, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Abstract

A giant short-faced bear ( Arctodus simus ) ulna fragment was found at the base of exposed Quaternary sediments at Cowichan Head, southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In this paper, the ulna fragment and its geological context are described and a reasonable taphonomic trajectory is presented. The radiocarbon age of 22 750 ± 140 BP on the bone indicates that these bears were on Vancouver Island during the late Wisconsinan. A likely source for the Cowichan Head A. simus was from the mainland to the southeast.