From the San Diego Zoo:
That’s about as authoritative as you’re likely to find on the net.
I have seen it theorized that the giant ground sloth was possibly carnivorous. If so, I think it definitely would be in the running for largest mammalian land carnivore ever.
When you two get done with the bear facts (unaided by cites, I suspect that the truth is that polar bears average larger, while Kodiaks hold the record for individual extreme size, I refer you to Mangetout’s post, quoted above. In point of fact, orcas will trust themselves out of water onto ice floes or beaches with the right configuration to seize prey that thinks it’s safe on land, squirming themselves back into the water. That’s hardly an official “land” predator, but it qualifies – barely.
In any case, the questions in the thread title and the OP did not specify land predator, though the rest of the OP implied that was what he was looking for.
You know it is fucking killing me that I can’t find vol. II of Walker’s Mammals of the World so that I can settle this dispute between Colibri and QED and thereby elevate one to ‘King for a Day’ and demote the other to ‘Swill-covered Leprous Jester for a Day’.
Stupid SDMB and its addictive urge to pedantry :D.
- Tamerlane
I have nothing to add except I fixed Astro’s link:
In more recent times, the honor might have gone to the short-faced bear.
YES! I absolutely loved Walker’s books when I was a tyke. My parents still have them. I can’t wait until they die so I can inherit my father’s fantastic library.
OK, I don’t really want them to die in the least. But I would like the library when they move into a smaller place in the next few years.
::wants her own naturally bullet-proof giant ground sloth to ride around on and slowly terrorize the neighborhood with::
It’s just not fair, I tell you!! Why are all the coolest monsterbeasts extinct??!!
[Veruca Salt] You’re always making things difficult!![/VS]
In the Marine Mammal that spends a Lot of Time on Land category, how about the Northern Elephant Seal? They weigh up to 6,000 lbs and are up to 18 feet long. I’ve seen some up close, they are monsterous.
This just in: Woman slooowly terrorizes neighborhood in giant ground sloth joyride! When squad cars show up on the scene, she attempts to evade them, leading to a low speed chase! Film at 11!
I think it worth mentioning: Arctodus simus Yukonensis (Giant short faced bear) as a runner up to Andrewsarchus for shear terror
I remember seeing a documentary on this creature years back. One theory presented was that the extinction of Arctodus simus Yukonensis paved the way for ancient man to take hold in the new world. …We would have been its prey shudder
Wait…squid have beaks?
Yes. Terrifying, ain’t it?
Yes. They do have beaks…
–J
Not to throw myself into this argument… but it’s not terribly scientific to state something like this:
You could get away with, “According to this cite (linked), the polar bear was and is the largest mammalian land carnivore known to exist.”
The fact is, we probably don’t know the largest mammalian land carnivore ever… but it looks to me like Andrewsarchus can safely be called the largest mammalian land carnivore that has been discovered thus far.
I just think it’s neat that one of Andrewsarchus closest living relatives is a whale (so says the first article linked).
Also, entelodonts, while probably not a predator was probably might have been carnivorous. Think of it as a rhino-sized pig with at seriously bad attitude.
I don’t think that this does qualify. Granted, while some killer whales do come ashore to find prey, it isn’t an instinct in the whales rather it is a learned behaviour. IIRC, the only place where this happens is off the atlantic coast of South America.
Telemark - Got it right. The Elephant Seal is larger than a Steller Sealion and the largest Pinniped. He’s a Carnivore and he’s perfectly suited on Land. Loosely hewn this argument is.
**Why not rephrase the question or put it inot subcategories?
**
Largest living completely Terrestrial Mammalian Carnivore?
Largest Living semi-terrestrial Mammalian Carnivore?
Largest Living Aquatic Carnivore?
And last but not least, Largest Living Carnivore on the Planet (Land or Sea)?
And while Colibri and Q.E.D. have been discussing the puny polar and kodiak bears everyone seems to have forgotten about cave bears that, however vegetarian, were both bigger, terrestrial and carnivores.
From this site:
Perhaps you want another quote?
The paleontologists may have to fight out the difference in estimations between them, but AFAIk it was definitely the biggest.