Magericyon

Name: Magericyon ‭(‬Magerit dog‭)‬.
Phonetic: Ma-ger-e-sy-on.
Named By: Stephane Peigne,‭ ‬Manuel J.‭ ‬Salesa,‭ ‬Mauricio,‭ ‬Anton‭ & ‬Jorge Morales‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.
Synonyms: Amphicyon castellanus.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Carnivora,‭ ‬Caniformia,‭ ‬Amphicyonidae,‭ ‬Amphicyoninae.
Species: M. anceps (type), M.‭ ‬castellanus.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Details unavailable.
Known locations: Spain,‭ ‬Madrid‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cerro de Battalions-1‭ (‬Battalions Hill‭)‬.
Time period: Late Miocene.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of at least‭ ‬12‭ ‬individuals,‭ ‬including‭ ‬5‭ ‬juveniles.

       The fossil material for Magericyon was originally described as a species of Amphicyon until a new study by Peigne et al‭ ‬in‭ ‬2008.‭ ‬Magericyon was found to be different from Amphicyon by close study of the form and proportion of the teeth.‭ ‬In naming the new genus the describers chose the name Magericyon from the word Magerit,‭ ‬the original name for Madrid combined with the ancient Greek for cyon which means dog.‭ ‬Magericyon was further split into two species with M.‭ ‬anceps having shorter and narrower canine teeth than M.‭ ‬castellanus.
       Magericyon remains are known from the Cerro de Battalions area of Spain which has been interpreted as a natural predator trap due‭ ‬to the exceptionally high abundance of carnivorous mammals in this area.‭ ‬Studies of modern large predatory mammals indicate that predators most likely to go after animals and carrion stuck in predator traps are those that live in groups,‭ ‬although solitary predators are also known to do this.‭ ‬This might hint at possible pack hunting for Magericyon,‭ ‬particularly since juvenile remains have also been found,‭ ‬although this may be indicative of family groups where the young stay and scavenge with the parent.
       Other predators known from this region include sabre-toothed cats such as Machairodus.




Further reading
- A new amphicyonine (Carnivora, Amphicyonidae) from the upper Miocene of Batallones-1, Madrid, Spain. - Palaeontology 51(4):943-965. - S. Peign�, M. J. Salesa, M. Ant�n & J. Morales - 2008.
- Comparative Anatomy of the Shoulder Region in the Late Miocene Amphicyonid Magericyon anceps (Carnivora): Functional and Paleoecological Inferences. - Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 22: 243–258. - G. Siliceo, M. J. Salesa, M. Ant�n, J. F. Pastor & J. Morales - 2015.

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