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Ancient Cave Bears Were As Omnivorous As Modern BearsFemale cave bear skull from the Pestera cu Oase. Studies of the bones and teeth of cave bears, and especially the nitrogen isotopes in their bone protein, have concluded that they were largely vegetarian. (Credit: Academia Romana / Erik Trinkaus) ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — Rather than being gentle giants, new research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary large carnivores of the time: hyaenas, lions, wolves, and our own human ancestors. Cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) have long fascinated paleontologists and...

Grizzly bear and cub feed on a dandelion. There’s no such thing as picky grizzly bears—they’ll eat almost anything they can find. A new University of Alberta study that tracked food habits of the Alberta grizzly bear living in the foothills sheds some light on the animal’s varied diet and their activity pattern. “Alberta bears have remarkably diverse diets,” said Dr. Mark Boyce, biological sciences professor at the U of A and co-author on the study. “They’ll eat just about anything.” Ants, fruits, moose and plants are a few staples of the Alberta grizzly bear’s diet. This new research study...