The world record polar bear was the result of a hunt out of Kotzebue, Alaska in 1963. - The bear likely evolved such a large body … The previous heavyweight was a North American giant short-faced bear—a related extinct species—that weighed up to 2,500 pounds (1,134 kilograms).

THE GIST - The world's largest known bear was a male South American giant bear that was 11 feet tall.