Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Carpocyon

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Subphylum
  
Vertebrata

Order
  
Carnivoramorpha

Scientific name
  
Carpocyon webbi

Phylum
  
Chordata

Class
  
Mammalia

Family
  
† Borophaginae

Rank
  
Genus

Carpocyon httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Similar
  
Cormocyon, Cynarctoides, Otarocyon, Enhydrocyon, Osbornodon

Carpocyon is an extinct member of the Borophaginae, and a terrestrial canine (bear-dog) which inhabited most of North America during the Barstovian stage of the Middle Miocene through the Hemphillian stage of the Late Miocene epoch 13.6 to 5.3 Ma Mya. Carpocyon existed for approximately 16.5 million years.

Contents

Taxonomy

Carpocyon was named by Webb in 1969 and assigned to Canidae by Webb that same year. In 1988, Carroll assigned it to Canidae with X. Wang assigning it to Borophagina in 1999.

Morphology

Two fossil specimens of Carpocyon were measured by Legendre and Roth in 1988. They estimated that specimen one weighed 24.1 kg (53 lb) and the second weighed 21.8 kg (48 lb). Its physical size was between a jackal and a small wolf.

Species

  • Carpocyon compressus (synonymous with Cynodesmus cuspidatus) lived 23.13—13.6 Ma, existing for 23.13 million years. Weight of two specimens were estimated at 19.3 kg (43 lb) and 17.6 kg (39 lb)
  • Carpocyon limosus lived from 16.3—10.3 Ma, existing for 17.97 million years.
  • Carpocyon robustus lived 13.6—10.3 Ma, existing for 13 million years. Weight of two specimens were 27 kg (60 lb) and 24.3 kg (54 lb).
  • Carpocyon webbi lived from 16.3—10.3 Ma, existing for 6 million years. Weight of two specimens were estimated at 30.4 kg (67 lb) and 27.2 kg (60 lb)

    • Sister genera

    Borophagus, Epicyon, Paratomarctus and Protepicyon.

    References

    Carpocyon Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA