Paraenhydrocyon
Appearance
Paraenhydrocyon Temporal range:
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Skull of Paraenhydrocyon josephi | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Subfamily: | †Hesperocyoninae |
Genus: | †Paraenhydrocyon Wang, 1994 |
Type species | |
†Temnocyon wallovianus | |
Species | |
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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 Mesocyon–Enhydrocyon group, but also parallels that clade by having a reduced metaconid cusp on the lower molars.[citation needed]
References
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