Epicyon

Epicyon
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Late Miocene
Mounted E. haydeni skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: †Borophaginae
Tribe: †Borophagini
Subtribe: †Borophagina
Genus: †Epicyon
Leidy, 1858
Type species
†Epicyon haydeni
Leidy, 1858
Species[1]
  • †E. aelurodontoides
  • †E. haydeni
  • †E. saevus

Epicyon ("more than a dog") is a large, extinct, canid genus of the subfamily Borophaginae ("bone-crushing dogs"), native to North America. Epicyon existed for about 15 million years from the Hemingfordian age of the Early Miocene, to the Hemphillian of the Late Miocene.[2] Epicyon haydeni is the largest known canid of all time, with the type species reaching 2.4 m (7.9 ft) in length, 90 cm (35 in) in shoulder height and approximately 100–125 kg (220–276 lb) in body mass.[3][4][5] The largest known humerus specimen belonged to an individual weighing up to 170 kg (370 lb).[6]

  1. ^ Wang, Xiaoming; Richard Tedford; Beryl Taylor (1999-11-17). "Phylogenetic systematics of the Borophaginae" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 243. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
  2. ^ PaleoBiology Database: Epicyon
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wang2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Andersson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).