Parictis
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| Parictis Temporal range: Eocene–Miocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Subfamily: | Amphicynodontinae |
| Genus: | Parictis |
| Species | |
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See text |
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Parictis is the earliest genus of bear known. It was a very small and graceful ursid with a skull only 7 cm long. Parictis first appeared in North America in the Late Eocene (ca. 38 million years ago), but it did not arrive in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene.[1] There is some suggestion that a limited emigration from Asia may have produced Parictis in North America due to the major sea level lowland circa 37 mya; however, as yet no Parictis fossils have been found in East Asia.
[edit] Species
- P. bathygenus White 1947
- P. dakotensis Clark 1936 37 Million years old
- P. gilpini Clark & Guensburg 1972 35 Million years old
- P. major Clark & Guensburg 1972
- P. montanus Clark & Guensburg 1972 36 Million years old
- P. parvus Clark & Beerbower, 1967 38 Million years old
- P. personi Chaffee 1954[2] 33 Million years old
- P. primaevus, Scott 1893
[edit] References
- ^ Kemp, T.S. (2005). The Origin and Evolution of Mammals. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198507607.
- ^ Chafee, R. F. (1954). "Campylocynodon personi, a new Oligocene carnivore from the Beaver Divide, Wyoming". Journal of Paleontolgy 28 (1): 43–46.
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Wikispecies has information related to: Ursidae |
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