July 19, 2023
 

Rare Bear Skeleton Model on Exhibit at State Museum

BISMARCK, N.D. – A 3D printed skeleton model of a rare bear predecessor is now on display at the State Museum in Bismarck. The Eoarctos vorax fossil was discovered in the Little Badlands area south of Dickinson in the 1980s. A cousin of the modern bear, the animal, whose name translates to “dawn bear the voracious eater,” lived roughly 32 million years ago.

With more than 80 percent of the original Eoarctos skeleton recovered, North Dakota Geological Survey paleontologists recently recreated this complete example using a 3D printer. The exhibit also features an artist’s rendering of the animal.

“It lets us interpret things like how did they walk? What was their feeding strategy? Questions we couldn’t really answer before,” said ND Geological Survey Senior Paleontologist Clint Boyd. He added that the species emerged “close to where dogs and bears split from each other on the evolutionary tree.”

With claws similar to a cat’s and resembling a racoon, the 30-inch long Eoarctos could climb trees but moved slowly on the ground. The extinct animal could crush hard materials such as snail shells in its mouth.

The ND Heritage Center & State Museum is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Find upcoming events at history.nd.gov/events.

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CONTACT
Kimberly Jondahl, 701.328.1476

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