Ischyrocyon

Ischyrocyon
Temporal range: Early Oligocene–Late Oligocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Amphicyonidae
Subfamily: Amphicyoninae
Genus: †Ischyrocyon
Matthew and Gidley (1904)

Ischyrocyon is an extinct genus of large, mostly carnivorous mammals (bone-crushers) known as bear dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, which inhabited North America during the Miocene living from ~16.3—10.3 Ma and existed for approximately 6 million years. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Ischyrocyon was named by Matthew and Gidley (1904). Its type is Ischyrocyon hyaenodus. It was assigned to Amphicyonidae by Matthew and Gidley (1904) and Carroll (1988); and to Amphicyoninae by Hunt (1998).[2]

Morphology

A single specimen was examined by Legendre and Roth for body mass.[3]

Fossil distribution

References

  1. ^ Paleobiology Database: Ischyrocyon Basic info.
  2. ^ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company
  3. ^ S. Legendre and C. Roth. 1988. Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia). Historical Biology 1(1):85-98