Desmocyon is an extinct genus of the Borophaginae subfamily of canids native to North America. It lived from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene, 24.8—16.3 Mya, existing for approximately 8.5 mya.[1] It is a rarely found genus,[citation needed] with fossil deposits only occurring in western Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico and north Florida. It is regarded as a primitive, transitional member of the Borophagini tribe.[2]
Desmocyon Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Subfamily: | †Borophaginae |
Tribe: | †Borophagini |
Genus: | †Desmocyon Wang et al., 1999 |
Species | |
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Range of Desmocyon based on fossil distribution |
References
edit- ^ Desmocyon, fossilworks
- ^ Wang, Xiaoming; Tedford, Richard H. (2008). Dogs, Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. Columbia. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-231-13528-3.
- zipcodezoo.com
- The Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids by David W. Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri; page 42 ISBN 0-19-851556-1