Plithocyon
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| Plithocyon armagnacensis skull | |
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| Genus: | Plithocyon Ginsburg, 1955
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Plithocyon is an extinct genus of bear-like hemicyonid carnivore of the Miocene epoch, endemic to North America and Europe living from ~15.97—7.25 Ma, existing for approximately 8.72 million years.
Taxonomy
Plithocyon was named by Ginsburg (1955). It was assigned to Ursidae by Ginsburg (1955) and Carroll (1988); and to Hemicyoninae by Hunt (1998).[1][2]
Morphology
Body mass
Two specimens were examined by Legendre and Roth for body mass.[3]
- Specimen 1: 79.3 kg (170 lb)
- Specimen 2: 652.6 kg (1,400 lb)
Fossil distribution
Sites and age of specimens:
- Hemicyon Quarry, Barstow Formation, San Bernardino County, California ~13.7—11.6 Ma.
- Ruby River Basin No.5, Madison County, Montana ~23—5.3 Ma.
- Pasalar site, Bursa, Turkey ~16—13.7 Ma.
- Pontigne site, France ~11.6—7.2 Ma.
Species
- Plithocyon antunesi Ginsburg & Morales, 1998
- Plithocyon armagnacensis Ginsburg, 1955
- Plithocyon barstowensis (Frick, 1926)
- Plithocyon bruneti Ginsburg, 1980
- Plithocyon conquense Ginsberg
- Plithocyon ursinus (Cope, 1875)
References
- ^ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York 1-698 [K. Behrensmeyer/K. Behrensmeyer/M. Carrano]
- ^ Hunt, R. M. (1998). "Ursidae". In Jacobs, Louis; Janis, Christine M.; Scott, Kathleen L. (eds.). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 1, Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate like Mammals. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 174–195. ISBN 0-521-35519-2.
- ^ S. Legendre and C. Roth. 1988. Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia). Historical Biology 1(1):85-98
- Ginsburg, L. & Morales, J. 1998. Les Hemicyoninae (Ursidae, Carnivora, Mammalia) et les formes apparentées du Miocène inférieur et moyen d'Europe occidentale. Ann. Paléontol. 84 (1): 71-123.
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