Pliocyon

Pliocyon
Temporal range: 20.6–13.6Ma

Early Oligocene-Early Miocene

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: †Amphicyonidae
Genus: Pliocyon
Matthew, 1918
Species
  • P. medius
  • P. ossifragus
  • P. robustus

Pliocyon is a physically large member of the extinct family Amphicyonidae of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, and which inhabited North America from the Early Miocene subepoch to the Middle Miocene subepoch 20.6—13.6 Ma, existing for approximately 7 million years.[1]

Pliocyon was named by Matthew in 1918. Its type is Pliocyon medius.

Morphology

A single specimen was measured by Legendre and Roth in 1988 with an estimated mass of 101.2 kg (223 lbs).[2]

Species

P. medius, P. ossifragus, P. robustus

Sister genera

Amphicyon, Cynelos (syn. Absonodaphoenus, Hecubides), Ischyrocyon (syn. Hadrocyon), Pseudocyon (syn. Amphicyonopsis), Ysengrinia

Fossil distribution

Pliocyon has been uncovered in South Florida, Skull Spring, Oregon, and western Nebraska.

References

  1. ↑ Paleobiology Database: Pliocyon, age range and collections
  2. ↑ S. Legendre and C. Roth. 1988. Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia). Historical Biology