Plithocyon

Plithocyon
Temporal range: Miocene
Plithocyon armagnacensis skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Hemicyonidae
Subfamily: Hemicyoninae
Genus: Plithocyon
Ginsburg, 1955
Species

see text

Plithocyon is an extinct genus of bear-like hemicyonid carnivore of the Miocene epoch, endemic to North America and Europe living from ~15.97—7.25 Ma, existing for approximately 8.72 million years.

Taxonomy

Plithocyon was named by Ginsburg (1955). It was assigned to Ursidae by Ginsburg (1955) and Carroll (1988); and to Hemicyoninae by Hunt (1998).[1][2]

Morphology

Body mass

Two specimens were examined by Legendre and Roth for body mass.[3]

Fossil distribution

Sites and age of specimens:

Species

References

  1. R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York 1-698 [K. Behrensmeyer/K. Behrensmeyer/M. Carrano]
  2. Hunt, R. M. (1998). "Ursidae". In Jacobs, Louis; Janis, Christine M.; Scott, Kathleen L. Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 1, Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate like Mammals. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 174–195. ISBN 0-521-35519-2.
  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


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