A New Fans i. I Bear fro m Ohio. 55 



Uisus procerus sj). nov. 



I'l/pe No. 4214, United States Niitional Museum. 



General characters. — Skull about as long as that of the black bears {e. </., 

 Ursiis americanus and U. florldanus) , but much more slender. Braincase 

 smaller and rostrum larger than in the black bears, foreliead deeply 

 concave. Canine teeth as in Ursns americanus, but molars fully as large 

 as those of Ursns arctog and the grizzly bears. 



SkuJl. — Viewed from above, the skull of Ursus procerus differs from that 

 of U. americamis and U. florldanus principally in the position of the post- 

 orbital processes I'elatively to the total length of the skull. In the Ijlack 

 bears the distance from the tip of the nasals to a line joining the tips of 

 the postorbital processes is contained nearly or quite twice in that from 

 the latter point to inion. In U. procerus it is contained barely one and 

 one-half tiuies. Postorbital processes short and blunt. Antinion broader 

 and longer than in U. americanus, strongly concave anteriorly, very little 

 elevated laterall)' and posteriorly. The horizontally expanded basal re- 

 gion of the zygoma is about as broad as in U. americanus, but the shelv- 

 ing portion of the squamosal beliiml the zygoma is much narrower and 

 more concave. The zygomatic arch as a whole stands out more widely 

 from the side of the skull than iu U. americanus. In this respect it sug- 

 gests the grizzly bears. 



Viewed from the side, the striking peculiarities of the skull become 

 fully apparent. The rostrum is so long, and its dorsal outline so nearly 

 parallel with the alveoli, that, combined with the general length and 

 shallowness of the braincase, it gives the skull a strongly canine asjiect. 

 Distance from posterior border of infraorbital foramen to front of pre- 

 maxilla nearly one and one half times dei>th of rostrum through infra- 

 orbital foramen. In Ursus americanus and U. floridanus the same distance 

 scarcely exceeds the depth. The zygomatic arch as a whole does not 

 differ noticeably from that of U. ajnericanus, though its anterior base ap- 

 pears to Ije somewiiat more lightly built. Braincase long and low. Oc- 

 cijiital condyle larger than in the black bears (fully as large as in U. hor- 

 ribilis) and standing out much more conspicuously behind the parocci[iital 

 process. Sagittal crest and lambdoid crest well developed, but not un- 

 usually large. Inion strongly overhanging. 



Viewed from beneath, the most striking peculiarities of the skull of 

 Ursus procerus are the length and breadth of the palate and the narrow- 

 ness of the occipital region. The palate is nearly as long and fully as 

 broad as in tiie skull of a grizzly bear the basal length of which is 40 mm. 

 greater than that of U. procerus. The hinder part of the palate is so much 

 injured that its exact form cannot i)e determined ; but so far as the frag- 

 ments may be taken as a guide the posterior palatal region did not differ 

 appreciably from the corresjiondiiig i>art of the black bear's skull. In- 

 terpterygoid fossa wider than in Ursus americcmus. Distance from me- 

 dian line of basioccipital to outer side of mastoid process 12 mm. less than 

 in the type skull of Ursus floridanus with approximably ecpial basal lengtli. 

 Audital bullae smaller than in U. americanus and U. florida)iu,s, l)ut not 

 different in form. Glenoid fossa as in U. americanus. 



