Bears are among the most charismatic and impressive mammals. They have large bodies, very flexible lifestyles, and an extensive fossil record that includes some of the best-preserved and largest fossil mammals of all time. This episode, we explore what makes bears so distinctive and successful, and how their diversity has changed over time.

In the news: ancient alligators, rattlesnake venom, late land crocs, pterosaur tracks, and Caribbean crocodiles.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:45
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:43:25
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:28:25
Patron question: 02:12:25

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The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0