Mammacyon

Mam-ma-sy-on.
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Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

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Name

Mammacyon ‭(‬Mammal dog‭)‬.

Phonetic

Mam-ma-sy-on.

Named By

Loomis‭ ‬-‭ ‬1936.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Carnivora,‭ ‬Caniformia,‭ ‬Amphicyonidae,‭ ‬Temnocyoninae.pe‭)‬.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬obtusidens‭

Size

Estimated around‭ ‬39‭ ‬kilograms in weight.

Known locations

USA.

Time Period

Rupelian of the Oligocene through to the Aquitanian of the Miocene.

Fossil representation

Several specimens.

In Depth

       Mammacyon was a‭ ‘‬bear dog‭’ ‬that has been assigned to the Temnocyoninae,‭ ‬and not surprisingly is thought to have been considered to be similar to the group type genus Temnocyon.‭ ‬Mammacyon seems to have been active at the same time as Temnocyon as well as many of the same locations,‭ ‬although the current range of fossil deposits for Mammacyon suggests that it did not have the same broad distribution as Temnocyon.‭ ‬So far Mammacyon has only been found in Florida‭ (‬south east USA‭) ‬as well as Wyoming,‭ ‬Nebraska and South Dakota‭ (‬central north USA‭)‬.‭ ‬It’s quite reasonable that Mammacyon was also active between these areas at some point,‭ ‬but so far a lack of remains means that the full range of Mammacyon can only be speculated.

Further Reading

Further reading- Three new Miocene dogs and their phylogeny. – Journal of Paleontology 10(1):44-52. – F. B. Loomis – 1936.

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