Early Holocene Black Bears, Ursus americanus, from Vancouver Island

Skeletal remains of three bears found in a cave on Vancouver Island were radiocarbon dated as early Holocene (98304140 BP). Pollen analysis of sediments adhering to bones indicated that the bears lived in an environment of mixed coniferous forest with a warmer drier climate than today. Cranial and dental measurements from the cave specimens were compared with historical museum specimens of Ursus arctos and Ursus americanus vancouveri. Although the palaeontological specimens are larger than modern U. a. vancouveri specimens, they were identified as U. americanus from dental size. The presence of large U. americanus on Vancouver Island in the early Holocene is consistent with the relictual hypothesis that attributes insular gigantism to colonization of the Pacific Northwest islands by large bears in the early post-glacial.