Enhydrocyon

Extinct genus of carnivores

Enhydrocyon Temporal range: Oligocene–Early Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N


Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Subfamily:	†Hesperocyoninae
Genus:	†Enhydrocyon Cope, 1879
Type species
†Enhydrocyon stenocephalus
Species
See text

Range of Enhydrocyon fossil evidence

Enhydrocyon is an extinct genus of bone crushing canid which inhabited North America during the Oligocene and Early Miocene, 30.8—20.4 Ma, existing for approximately 11 million years. ^[1]

Enhydrocyon's dentition suggests this animal was a hypercarnivore or mesocarnivore.^[2] Species of Enhydrocyon were relatively large, powerfully built carnivores with a short snout and deep jaws reminiscent of a jaguar.^[3] These features give the skull a shape resembling that of the extant sea otter (Enhydra), prompting the scientific name.^[4] With an estimated weight of about 10 kilograms (22 lb), this was the earliest genus of canid adapted to be specialized predators.^[4]

Species

†Enhydrocyon basilatus Cope 1879
†E. crassidens Matthew 1907
†E. pahinsintewakpa Macdonald 1963
†E. sectorius Cope 1883
†E. stenocephalus Cope 1879

References

^ [1] Enhydrocyon at fossilworks
^ R. M. Nowak. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Press (edited volume) II
^ David Macdonald. The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores. BBC Books: London; 1992. p83.
^ ^a ^b Wang, Xiaoming; Tedford, Richard H. (2008). Dogs, Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. Columbia. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-231-13528-3.

Wang, X. (1994). "Phylogenetic systematics of the Hesperocyoninae (Carnivora, Canidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 221: 1–207. hdl:2246/829.

Extinct members of the family Canidae

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia

incertae sedis

†Prohesperocyon

†Hesperocyoninae

†Borophaginae

Phlaocyonini

Cynarctoides
Phlaocyon

Borophagini

Cormocyon Desmocyon Metatomarctus Euoplocyon Psalidocyon Microtomarctus Protomarctus Tephrocyon
Cynarctina	Paracynarctus Cynarctus
Aelurodontina	Tomarctus Aelurodon
Borophagina	Paratomarctus Carpocyon Protepicyon Epicyon Borophagus

Caninae

†Leptocyon
†Metalopex
†Nurocyon
†Prototocyon

Urocyon

†U. citrinus
†U. galushai
†U. minicephalus
†U. progressus
†U. webbi

Vulpes

Canini

Cerdocyonina

†Dusicyon †Protocyon †Theriodictis
Lycalopex	†L. cultridens †L. ensenadensis
Speothos	†S. pacivorus

Canina

†Cynotherium
†Eucyon
†Aenocyon
†Xenocyon

Cuon

†C. alpinus europaeus

Canis

†C. apolloniensis †C. armbrusteri †C. arnensis †C. cedazoensis †C. edwardii †C. etruscus †C. ferox †C. lepophagus
C. latrans	†C. l. orcutti
C. lupus	†C. l. alces †C. l. beothucus †C. l. bernardi †C. l. cristaldii †C. l. floridanus †C. l. fuscus †C. l. gregoryi †C. l. griseoalbus †C. l. hattai †C. l. hodophilax †C. l. mogollonensis †C. l. monstrabilis †C. l. nubilus †C. l. youngi