Mececyon trinilensis

Mececyon trinilensis, the Trinil dog, is an extinct canid species that lived in Indonesia during the Pleistocene.[1]

Mececyon trinilensis
Temporal range: Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: †Mececyon
Species:
†M. trinilensis
Binomial name
†Mececyon trinilensis
Stremme, 1911

Description

The body size of Mececyon trinilensis been estimated to be about 22 kg. This size is the result of insular dwarfism.[2][3]

Habitat and ecology

Mececyon trinilensis is endemic to the island of Java. It was part of the Pleistocene Trinil Fauna of Java. Other animals of this Faunal assemblage were Bos palaesondaicus, the Indian muntjak (Muntiacus muntjak), Bubalus palaeokerabau, the Dubois santeng and Stegodon trigonocephalus. Other predators of the Trinil Fauna were the Trinil tiger (Panthera tigris trinilensis) and the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis).[4][5]

It has been estimated that Mececyon trinilensis hunted prey of 1 kg to 10 kg, preferably 5 kg in size. However this number could vary, because it is yet unknown if the Mececyon trinilensis hunted in packs, or if carrion left over by the Trinil tiger influenced its feeding habits.[2]

Evolution

Mececyon trinilensis probably evolved from Xenocyon lycanoides, like the larger Indonesian Merriam's dog (Megacyon merriami) and the Sardinian dhole (Cynotherium sardous). Its closest living relatives are the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and the dhole (Cuon alpinus).[3]

The Trinil dog went extinct in the course of the Pleistocene. There is currently no evidence that this species survived into the Holocene.[2]

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References
  1. Elias, Scott A. (2013). Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 1000. ISBN 9780444536433.
  2. Rebekka Volmer (2005): Ökomorphologische Rekonstruktion pleistozäner Hyaeniden (Jawa, Indonesien), Diplomarbeit im Fachbereich Biowissenschaft der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Mainhttp://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/thesis/Diploma_Volmer_2005.pdf
  3. "Body size of insular carnivores: Evidence from the fossil record (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  4. Lyras, George A. (2007). "Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia" (PDF). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 243: 152–173. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.07.011.
  5. Christine Hertler/ Yan Rizal (2005): Excursion guide to the Pleistocene Hominid Sites in Central and East Java, Johann Wolfgang Geothe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany/ ITB, Bandung, Indonesia
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