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Ursus maritimus (polar bear)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Ursidae

Taxonomy
Ursus maritimus was named by Phipps (1774). It is extant.

It was recombined as Thalarctos maritimus by Ewer (1973).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1774Ursus maritimus Phipps
1776Ursus marinus Pallas
1792Ursus polaris Shaw p. 7
1825Thalarctos polaris Gray
1964Ursus maritimus Kurten p. 5
1968Ursus maritimus Kurten p. 128
1973Thalarctos maritimus Ewer
1980Ursus maritimus Kurten and Anderson p. 185
1981Ursus maritimus DeMaster and Stirling p. 1
1999Ursus maritimus Waits et al. p. 90
2001Ursus maritimus Larivière p. 1

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
RankNameAuthor
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Ferae()
—CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
—CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderCaniformiaKretzoi 1943
infraorderCanoidea(Simpson 1931)
superfamilyArctoideaFlower 1869
—Ursida
superfamilyUrsoideaFischer de Waldheim 1817
familyUrsidaeGray 1825
subfamilyUrsinaeSwainson 1835
tribeUrsini
genusUrsus
speciesmaritimusPhipps 1774

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Ursus maritimus Phipps 1774 [polar bear]
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†Ursus maritimus tyrannus Kurten 1964
Invalid names: Thalarctos polaris Gray 1825 [synonym], Ursus marinus Pallas 1776 [synonym], Ursus polaris Shaw 1792 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Body mass estimates
estimateequationreference
 102.3 kg Mammalia femur diameterGingerich 1990
 158.0 kg Mammalia humerus diameterGingerich 1990
 97.5 kg Mammalia tibia diameterGingerich 1990
mean: 116.4 kg
Measurements
partNmean
femur diameter127.3
humerus diameter134.4
radius diameter118.6
tibia diameter126.0

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: amphibiouss
Diet: carnivores
Diet 2: omnivores
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Comments: "meat/non-vertebrate group" (Van Valkenburgh 1988)s
Created: 2009-01-04 14:21:37
Modified: 2012-04-16 20:12:45
Source: s = species, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Lillegraven 1979, Hendy et al. 2009, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988, Van Valkenburgh 1988

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Late/Upper Pleistocene to the top of the Holocene or 0.12900 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 0.0117 Ma

Collections (114 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Russian Federation Ursus maritimus (81679 188673)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Alaska) Ursus maritimus (225173)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Germany Ursus maritimus (107956)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Greenland Ursus maritimus (162544)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Canada (Yukon) Ursus maritimus (73691)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117United Kingdom (England) Ursus maritimus (81672)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Canada (Northwest Territories) Ursus maritimus (73726)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Norway Ursus maritimus (81673 162642 227340 227461 227473 227729)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Denmark (Jutland) Ursus maritimus (81674)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Svalbard and Jan Mayen Ursus maritimus (162543)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Sweden Ursus maritimus (81675 81676 81677 227187 227188 227189 227218 227219 227220)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Norway (Finnoy) Ursus maritimus (81678)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Norway Ursus maritimus (162640)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk) Ursus maritimus (198857)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Alaska) Ursus maritimus (92955 161613 164374 175943 175948 175950 175951 175953 175954 175955 175956 176411 227966 228310 236014)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Northwest Territories) Ursus maritimus (175957 228444 228921)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Newfoundland) Ursus maritimus (228843 228844 228845)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Greenland Thalarctos maritimus (162014) Ursus maritimus (162115 162545 162563 162564 162641 175984 175985 175987 226353 227723 227758 227826 227873 227875 227877 229798 229881 229885 229938 229939 229940 229941 229942 229943 230119 230120 230435 230436)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Russian Federation Ursus maritimus (81680 175940)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Manitoba) Ursus maritimus (229538)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Quebec) Ursus maritimus (228766)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Yukon) Ursus maritimus (228443)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Nunavut) Ursus maritimus (73707 90167 160837 160848 160849 175962 175963 175964 175966 175967 175977 175978 228755 228756 228757 228765 228895 228896 228897 228898 228899 228919 228920 228927 228928 229256 229484 229489 229645 229646)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0North Pacific Ursus maritimus (227242)