In Depth Although no way near as popular as the large ‘bear dogs’ such as Amphicyon, the large number of fossil remains for Daphoenus actually make it one of if not the best represented of the North American bear dogs. Daphoenus is actually the type genus of a special sub group of amphicyonids called the … Read more
In Depth Dated to the Oligocene period, Ysengrinia is one of the earliest of the larger bear dogs (earlier ones like Cynodictis were smaller) and lived at a time when the world was dominated by creodont predators. Further Reading – New carnivores from the basal Middle Miocene of Arrisdrift, Namibia. – Eclogae geologicae Helvetiae 91:27-40. … Read more
In Depth Hailing from southern China, Guangxicyon is noted for having a short face, something which may have been an adaptation for focusing the force of the jaw closing muscles for an increased bite force. This may have been enough to allow Guangxicyon enough bite force to crunch through bones. Other short faced bear dogs … Read more
In Depth Whenever you hear someone mention a ‘Sabre Toothed Tiger’, what they are really talking about, whether they realise it themselves or not, is Smilodon. This is because Smilodon does not belong to the same cat family as Tigers, which belong to the Pantherinae group. As a member of the Machairodontinae, a more acceptable … Read more
In Depth A relatively small canid, Eucyon is one of the earliest true dogs to enter the fossil record. Living during the late Miocene it would have been in competition with larger and more dangerous predators such as the amphicyonids, however Eucyon and its relatives were better adapted to the on-going climatic changes of the … Read more
In Depth A very primitive genus of hyena, Protictitherium has actually been more loosely interpreted as like a civet in terms of physical appearance. Further Reading - Late Miocene carnivores of the Greco-Iranian Province: Composition, guild structure and palaeoecology - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 305: 215 - G. D. Koufos & G. E. Konidaris - 2011.
In Depth Ekorus seems to have been one of the last of the giant mustelids to evolve. Appearing in Kenya around six million years ago, Ekorus has been loosely termed to be a leopard sized predator that was suited to ambush hunting in the forests of late Miocene Kenya. However the creation and expansion of … Read more
In Depth Paradaphoenus acquired its name from its superficial similarity to another bear dog called Daphoenus. Depending upon the palaeontologist, Paradaphoenus has been assigned a more general position within the Amphicyonidae, as well as a more precise classification within the Daphoeninae, the group named after Daphoenus. At almost two kilos Paradaphoenus was one of the … Read more
In Depth Out of all of the nimravids, mammalian predators better known as the ‘false sabre-toothed cats’, Eusmilus seems to have been one of the most dangerous. Not only did Eusmilus grow to be one of the largest known nimravids at up to two and a half meters long, but a skull of its smaller … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – The Cheetah: Native American. – Science 14 September 1979: Vol. 205 no. 4411 pp. 1155-1158. – Daniel B. Adams – 1979. – The Plio-Pleistocene cheetah-like cat Miracinonyx inexpectatus of North America – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 10(4):434-454. – Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Frederick Grady & Bj�rn Kurt�n – 1990. -Evolution of … Read more