Extinct Atlas bear was a strict vegetarian, study finds

Summary

Researchers report that the extinct Atlas bear, a subspecies of brown bear from Africa, was a strict vegetarian, unlike its modern relatives. The study, published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, found that the bear's diet was remarkably similar to the elk that modern brown bears hunt. This unusual herbivorous diet may have helped the Atlas bear avoid competition with hypercarnivores like lions and leopards in its African habitat.