UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 



GEOLOGY 



Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 39-46 Issued September 12, 1912 



RECENT DISCOVERIES OF CARNIVORA IN 

 THE PLEISTOCENE OF RANCHO 

 LA BREA 



EY 



JOHN C. MEEKIAM 



Introduction 



Until recently no remains of true bears and none represent- 

 ing eats of the puma type have been discovered in the collections 

 of carnivore remains obtained at Rancho La Brea. Absence of 

 these two groups has therefore been generally considered as one 

 of the peculiar features of this fauna. Bears of the arctothere 

 group are known from fragmentary remains representing a 

 large species which has been tentatively designated as Arcto- 

 therium calif ornicum. 1 True cats are represented at Rancho La 

 Brea by the gigantic lion, Felix atrox bebbi,- and by wild-cats 

 of the type of Lynx calif or nicus fischeri. 3 



Included in collections from Rancho La Brea which have 

 been prepared for study within the past year there are several 

 fragmentary specimens which evidently represent a bear of the 

 Ursus type, and a cat closely related to the existing pumas. These 

 discoveries are of some significance in connection with studies 

 on the distribution of the fauna of Rancho La Brea with refer- 

 ence both to time and to space, and it is therefore deemed desir- 

 able to record the information available. 



1 Merriam, J. C, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bull. Dept. Geol. vol. 6, p. 165, 1911. 



2 Merriam, J. C, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bull. Dept. Geol. rol. 5, pp. 291-304, 

 1909. 



3 Merriam, J. C, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bull. Dept. Geol. vol. 5, p. 394, 1910. 



