Could this giant polar bear skull be the legendary 'weasel bear'?

ADN ^ | 19 Feb 2017 | Yereth Rosen

[Theoria]

Aboriginal hunters from Arctic Canada have a couple of names for what they say is an extremely rare polar bear that is huge, narrow-bodied, fast-moving and lithe: "tiriarnaq" or "tigiaqpak," meaning "weasel bear."

Now the thawing and rapidly eroding Chukchi Sea coastal permafrost has produced evidence that one of these legendary weasel bears — or some other strange kind of bear — roamed Arctic Alaska centuries ago.

A huge, fully intact and unusually shaped polar bear skull emerged in 2014 from an eroding archaeological site about 13 miles southwest of Utqiaġvik (Barrow).

It is one of the biggest polar bear skulls ever found — and quite different from most modern polar bear skulls. It is slender, elongated in the back and has unusual structural features around the nasal area and other areas.

"It looks different from your average polar bear," said Anne Jensen, an Utqiaġvik-based archaeologist who has been leading excavation and research programs in the region.

Through radiocarbon dating and subsequent analysis, Jensen and her colleagues estimate that the big bear skull — which appears to be the fourth largest ever found — is from a period between the years 670 and 800. It is possibly the oldest complete polar bear skull found in Alaska, inspiring a name for the departed creature that owned it: The Old One.

Exactly what accounts for its differences is yet to be determined; genetic testing is needed for that, Jensen said. It could have been a member of a subspecies or a member of a different "race" in genetic terms — similar to the varying breeds that are found among dogs — or possibly something else entirely, said Jensen, who works for the science department of the Native village corporation, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corp., or UIC.

[Theoria]

A huge, unusually shaped polar bear skull, left, emerged in 2014 from an eroding archaeological site southwest of Utqiagvik. It is quite different from most modern polar bear skulls, right. (UIC Science)

[Theoria]

[Snickering Hound]

[WKUHilltopper]

Probably Gore’s Man-Bear-Pig.

[econjack]

Is this photoshopped?

[Carthego delenda est]

[ClearCase_guy]

I think #4 is real — I’ve been told there is no such thing as Fake News.

[BigEdLB]

If you look at that photobucket page. Someone really has the hots for Ivanka

[davius]

#4 took place last October at Lake Winnipesaukee. Both bears are now deployed with Trump’s protection detail.

[jim_trent]

This absolutely, positively proves that Global warming kills polar bears (even if they are elongated ones).

[Does so]

Black bears are becoming increasingly common in the area around Lake Winnipesaukee, so there's more interest in bears, generally. There's a Brit who has a couple of bears, and has selfie-photographed himself with his polar bear in his swimming pool.

I found this interesting, so, thanks. :)

[RegulatorCountry]

Is this photoshopped?

What makes you think that?

[OftheOhio]

Thanks for the article. I went on a grand hike last week (65 years old) and impressed myself with my stamina. I found a bear canine tooth on the lake shore, a really old one judging by the reddish brown color of the enamel. How cool was that, a fascinating object.

[econjack]

It’s just so hard to get an action shot like that!

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 2/27/2017. Thanks Theoria.

[21twelve]

“It looks different from your average polar bear,”

Yogi’s great, great grandfather?

[Duchess47]

It’s the chaps. POTUS would never wear chaps.

[dsc]

“Now the thawing and rapidly eroding Chukchi Sea coastal permafrost”

Other sources say this isn’t happening. Who’s lying?

[Trillian]

We have an amazing president!