Daphoenus

Daphoenus is an extinct genus of bear dogs. Daphoenus inhabited North America from the Middle Eocene to the Middle Miocene, 37.2—16.0 Mya, existing for approximately 21 million years.[1]

Daphoenus
Temporal range: 42–16.3 Ma Middle Eocene-Middle Miocene
D. vetus skeleton, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: †Amphicyonidae
Subfamily: †Daphoeninae
Genus: †Daphoenus
Leidy, 1853
Type species
†Daphoenus vetus
Species
  • D. hartshorianus
  • D. lambei
  • D. ruber
  • D. socialis
  • D. transversus
  • D. vetus
Synonyms
  • Pericyon
  • Proamphicyon Hatcher, 1902

Species
D. vetus skull, Paleontology Museum of Zurich

D. hartshornianus fossils found in Oligocene Orellan rocks in the Lower Nodular Zone, Pennington County, South Dakota are dated at ~33.4 Ma. Other sites include the Prairie Dog Creek Site and Warbonnet Creek Site, Sioux County, Nebraska ~33.4 Ma., Bartlett High Site, Dawes County, Nebraska ~33.2 Ma., Babby Butte Site, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota ~33.4 Ma—33.2 Ma.

D. lambei fossils found in Eocene Duchesnean rocks at the Big Red Horizon Site, Presidio County, Texas are dated at ~38.4—38.3 Ma. Other sites include the Badwater Locality 20 Site and Wood Locality Site, Natrona County, Wyoming ~41.8 Ma., Lac Pelletier Lower Fauna Site, Saskatchewan ~42.3 Ma.

D. ruber fossils were found in Oligocene Arikareean rocks in the Tecuya Canyon Formation of Kern County, California with other mammal species and are dated at ~29.8—24.8 Ma.

D. socialis fossils found in Oligocene Hemingfordian rocks at the Haystack Member, Wheeler County, Oregon are dated at ~24.3 Ma. and Kimberly Member, Grant County, Oregon with several other species of mammal such as Hesperocyon, Hypertragulus, and Leptomeryx dating ~25.4—25.3 Ma.

Description
Restoration of D. vetus

Daphoenus, like the rest of its family, was called a "bear dog" because it had characteristics of both bears and dogs. These animals were about the size of the present day coyote. Daphoenus vetus was the largest species. The male skulls could reach up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. Daphoenus had short legs, and could only make quick sprints; it was not capable of running long distances. It is thought that these animals ambushed their prey, and did some scavenging. Fossil footprints suggested that, like present-day bears, these animals walked in a flat-footed way. Daphoenus dug burrows for their offspring to stay in and hide from their prey.[2]

Distribution
D. vetus skeleton, Paleontology Museum of Zurich

Daphoenus fossils found in late Oligocene rocks in the Great Plains are dated at ~28 Ma. Daphoenus survived to 27 Ma in the Pacific Northwest in the John Day beds of Oregon.[3] Other sites include: Alachua County, Florida (Whitneyan) estimated at 31.1—24.3 Ma., Tecuya Canyon, California (Arikareean age) 30.8—20.6 Ma., Haystack Member Formation, Wheeler County, Oregon (Hemingfordian) 20.6—16.3 Ma., Lac Pelletier, Alberta, Canada (Duchesnean) ~42 Ma.

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References
  1. Daphoenus at fossilworks
  2. Robbins, Neal. "Daphoenus- A Mammal of the Oligocene" Infohub.com. 4thMar.2007.Web. 12 Nov. 2009
  3. Hunt, Robert M., Jr. (2004). "Global Climate and the Evolution of Large Mammalian Carnivores during the Later Cenozoic in North America" (PDF). Cenozoic Carnivores and Global Climate.
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