| Eucyon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil skeleton ofEucyon davisi | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Subfamily: | Caninae |
| Genus: | †Eucyon Tedford and Qiu (1996)[1] |
| Type species | |
| †Eucyon davisi (Merriam, 1911) [originallyCanis] | |
| Species | |
Eucyon (Greek:εὖeu: good, true;κῠ́ωνcyon: dog) is anextinctgenus of mediumomnivorouscoyote-likecanid that first appeared in theWestern United States during the late MiddleMiocene 10 million years ago. It was the size of a jackal and weighed around 15kg. It was one of the few North American mammals which invadedEurasia about 6 million years ago, followed by the genus going extinct 3 million years ago. This genus is proposed to have given rise to genusCanis 6 million years ago.[2]: p56–58
Eucyon was named by Tedford and Qiu in 1996.[1] Phyletically it stood betweenCanis and the South American canines that would follow it.[2]: p56 In 2009, Tedford revised its diagnosis and described two of its species,E. skinneri andE. davisi,[3]: 89 which was originally namedCanis davisi by Merriam in 1911.[4][3]: 89 Numerous species were previously described asCanis, includingEucyon ferox.[5]
The jackal-sizedEucyon existed in North America from 10 million YBP until theEarly Pliocene.[6]Wang andTedford proposed that the genusCanis was the descendant of the coyote-likeEucyon davisi, remains of which first appeared in theMiocene (6 million YBP) in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. By thePliocene (5 million YBP), the largerCanis lepophagus appeared in the same region and by theEarly Pleistocene (1 million YBP)Canis latrans (thecoyote) was in existence. They proposed that the progression fromEucyon davisi toC. lepophagus to the coyote was linear evolution.[2]: p58
The recent discovery of the 5 million years oldE. khoikhoi supports the proposed radiation of the genusEucyon, with the oldestE. ferox in North America, toE. davisi in North America then to China, toE. debonisi in Western Europe, toE. khoikhoi in Africa.[7]
A medium canid - it is the size of a jackal, weighing around 15 kg (33 lb).[2]: p56
The fossil remains are found in theRio Grande,Texas to westernOregon andWashington'sRingold Formation,[8] as well as northernNebraska, along withGreece,Ethiopia,Mongolia and many other locations across the Old World.[9]
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