ARCTODUS-SIMUS FROM THE ALASKAN ARCTIC SLOPE

Arctodus simus yukonensis, the extinct northern North American short-faced bear, is represented by an immature left humerus lacking its unfused proximal epiphysis, which was recovered from a point bar on the lkpikpuk River, Alaska (69-degrees-41'N, 154-degrees-54'W). This is the northernmost record of this bear. The specimen is dated at 27 190 +/- 280 BP (IsoTrace TO-2539) on C-14 analysis, which lies within the observed age distribtution of Arctodus. The individual is larger than average for the species based on the dimensions of the distal articulation, despite its immaturity, and may have been male.