Cynodictis
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Extinct (fossil)
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Cynodictis, or "dawn dog" is the name given to a number of dog-like animals known from the late Eocene and early Oligocene of Europe (France and Germany), the late Eocene of Mongolia, and the Oligocene of North America (about 20~40 million years ago). Cynodictis was originally considered a member of the Amphicyonidae, but the fossil species that originally made up the genus have since been distributed among related genera Cormocyon, Cynarctoides, Phlaocyon, and Rhizocyon, all of which belong to the subfamily Borophaginae of the family Canidae.
These animals were considered to have been descended from the paraphyletic genus Miacis, and are of the type that could be considered progenitors of modern dogs.
The Raccoon dog from Asia is the dog living now that is considered to most closedly resemble Cynodictis.
Cynodictis had a long muzzle and a low-slung body. It had carnassial scissor teeth for slicing chunks of meat off carcasses. It lived on the grassy plains of North America, but researchers think it may have climbed trees in search of prey. It was about 60 cm in length.
About five million years ago the canids that descended from Cynodictis left their ancestral home in North America by way of a land bridge to Asia, and subsequently colonized the world.
[edit] Documentary
Cynodictis is featured in the first and third episodes of Walking With Beasts. In the first episode, it is attacked and killed by an Ambulocetus, in the third episode, one drives away a young Indricotherium. It is shown living in a burrow.
[edit] External links
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