Canis ferox
| Canis ferox Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | †C. ferox |
| Binomial name | |
| †Canis ferox Miller and Carranza-Castaneda 1998 | |
Canis ferox is a species of canidae which was endemic to North America and lived from the Late Hemphillian stage (10.3 Mya) of the Pliocene through the Miocene epoch (5.33 Mya).[1] Canis ferox existed for approximately 5 million years. It is a primitive species, existing before most of the clades of Canis were formed.
Canis ferox was named by Miller and Carranza-Castaneda in 1998.[2]
Fossil distribution
The first fossil record was found in Rancho Viejo, central Mexico. No other record of Canis ferox has been found outside of central Mexico. A specimen was estimated by Legendre and Roth to weigh 14.3 kg (31.5 lbs) and another specimen was estimated to weigh 13.3 kg (29.3 lbs).[3]
References
- ↑ PaleoBiology Database: Canis ferox, age range and collections
- ↑ O. Mooser and W. W. Dalquest. 1975. Journal of Mammalogy
- ↑ S. Legendre and C. Roth. 1988. Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia). Historical Biology 1(1):85-98
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