Paraenhydrocyon

Paraenhydrocyon
Temporal range: Early Miocene
Skull of Paraenhydrocyon josephi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Hesperocyoninae
Genus: Paraenhydrocyon
Wang, 1994
Type species
Temnocyon wallovianus
Species
  • P. robustus Cope 1881
  • P. josephi Matthew 1907
  • P. wallovianus Cope 1881

Paraenhydrocyon ("beside Enhydrocyon") is an extinct genus of bone crushing omnivorous early canid which inhabited North America during the Early Miocene, 24.8—20.4 Ma, existing for approximately 5 million years. [1]

The dentition suggests that this animal was a hypercarnivore or mesocarnivore.[2] In addition to its retention of several primitive cranial characters, this includes unique sharp-tipped, slender premolars that clearly contrast with the strong premolars of the MesocyonEnhydrocyon group, but also parallels that clade by having a reduced metaconid cusp on the lower molars.[citation needed]

  1. ^ [1] Paraenhydrocyon at fossilworks
  2. ^ R. M. Nowak. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Press (edited volume) II