In Depth
Ischyrocyon appears to have been around mid-sized for one of the North American bear dogs being much bigger than some genera such as Temnocyon and Cynelos, but still much smaller than giants like Amphicyon. The type species name I. hyaenodus means ‘hyaena tooth’, a reference to the similarity of the teeth of Ischyrocyon to those of a hyaena. Caution should be taken not to confuse I. hyaenodus with the similarly named Hyaenodon however, a genus of creodont mammal that hunted across Africa, Eurasia and North America long before the appearance of Ischyrocyon.
Further Reading
– New or little known mammals from the Miocene of South Dakota : American Museum expedition of 1903. – Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 20(22):241-268. – W. D. Matthew & J. W. Gidley – 1904.
