| Merriam's dog | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | †Megacyon von Koenigswald, 1940 |
| Species: | †M. merriami |
| Binomial name | |
| †Megacyon merriami | |
Megacyon merriami, orMerriam's dog, was a prehistoric canid that lived on the island ofJava in Indonesia during the Early Pleistocene.[1] Its scientific name means "Merriam's large dog".
Megacyon was relatively larged sized, with an estimated body mass of around 49–54 kilograms (108–119 lb), comparable to a grey wolf. In comparison to its ancestorXenocyon, thehypocone on the teeth was larger.[2]
Megacyon is thought to have been ahypercarnivore that preyed on large-sized prey such as deer.[2]
Megacyon is thought to have evolved from mainland species ofXenocyon, withMegacyon being even larger than mainlandXenocyon species. Some authors have subsumedMegacyon intoXenocyon.Megacyon is thought to be the ancestor of the much smallerMececyon known from younger deposits on Java.[2] Megacyon are currently around the 49-54 kilogram size range due to their evolution and niche overlapping with tigers. As tigers and Megacyon had a 100% niche overlap, Megacyon evolved to be smaller in size in order to avoid this niche overlap for the species survival.
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