If you crossed a bear with a bulldog, supersized it and gave it a cheetah’s fangs, you would have a glimpse of the creatures roaming the planet 12,000 years ago. Watch ‘Prehistoric Predators: Short Faced Bear’ on National Geographic Abu Dhabi on Monday 28 June at 9pm (UAE) to hear the hair-raising legends of this bulldog-bear hybrid beast, as well as tales of some of the other supersized animals that lived in North America at that time.
Around 12,000 years ago, the short-faced bear was one of the most powerful carnivores in North America, dwarfing today's grizzlies. It stood at six feet at the shoulder and 13 feet on its back legs, and the biggest among them would have weighed more than a tonne.
Using the well-preserved skeletons of these monstrous creatures and the most up-to-date technology, National Geographic Abu Dhabi rebuilds these gargantuan predators putting flesh on their bones and whiskers on their snouts. Watch as what looks like a cross between an enormous bulldog and a mammoth bear comes to life and roams the planet once again. It's an amazing beast built for the chase and a full-on meat-eater. Its teeth look more like a cheetah’s than a grizzly's, as does its bone chemistry.
Discover the world of the short-faced bear and much more, as National Geographic Abu Dhabi takes viewers on a spine-tingling adventure in its series ‘Prehistoric Predators’. This fascinating glimpse into prehistoric life reveals that if three of today's most formidable predators - the lion, the grizzly bear and the wolf - were super-sized, we would have a startling and possibly quite accurate picture of the wildlife dominating what is now downtown Los Angeles, about 12,000 years ago. Using the latest science, research and animation, National Geographic goes on a journey of recreation into North America’s past and discovers the secrets of these supersized predators.
Tune into National Geographic Abu Dhabi to discover the chillingly merciless world of ‘Prehistoric Predators’
