Amphicynodontidae is a probable clade of extinct arctoids. While some researchers consider this group to be an extinct subfamily of

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

s, a variety of morphological evidence links amphicynodontines with

pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely range (biology), distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant taxon, extant families Odobenidae (whose onl ...

s, as the group were semi-aquatic otter-like mammals. In addition to the support of the pinniped–amphicynodontine clade, other morphological and some molecular analyses support bears being the closest living relatives to pinnipeds. According to McKenna and Bell (1997) Amphicynodontinae are classified as stem-

pinnipeds Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walr ...

in the superfamily Phocoidea. Fossils of these mammals have been found in Europe, North America and Asia. Amphicynodontines should not be confused with Amphicyonids (bear-dogs), a separate family of

Carnivora Carnivora ( ) is an order of placental mammals specialized primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivor ...

which is a sister clade to arctoids within the

caniforms Caniformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "dog-like" carnivorans. They include dogs (wolves, foxes, etc.), bears, raccoons, and mustelids. The Pinnipedia ( seals, walruses and sea lions) are also assigned to this gr ...

, but which may be listed as a clade of extinct arctoids in older publications.

Systematics

* Family †Amphicynodontidae Simpson, 1945 ** †'' Allocyon'' Merriam, 1930 *** †''Allocyon loganensis'' Merriam, 1930 ** †'' Amphicynodon'' Filhol, 1881 *** †''Amphicynodon brachyrostris'' (Filhol, 1876) *** †''Amphicynodon cephalogalinus'' Teilhard, 1915 *** †''Amphicynodon chardini'' Cirot and De Bonis, 1992 *** †''Amphicynodon crassirostris'' (Filhol, 1876) *** †''Amphicynodon gracilis'' (Filhol, 1874) *** †''Amphicynodon leptorhynchus'' (Filhol, 1874) *** †''Amphicynodon mongoliensis'' Janovskaja, 1970 *** †''Amphicynodon teilhardi'' Matthew and Granger, 1924 *** †''Amphicynodon typicus'' Schlosser, 1888 *** †''Amphicynodon velaunus'' (Aymard, 1846) ** †'' Amphicticeps'' Matthew and Granger, 1924 *** †''Amphicticeps dorog'' Wang ''et al.'', 2005 *** †''Amphicticeps makhchinus'' Wang ''et al.'', 2005 *** †''Amphicticeps shackelfordi'' Matthew and Granger, 1924 ** †'' Drassonax'' Galbreath, 1953 *** †''Drassonax harpagops'' Galbreath, 1953 ** †'' Kolponomos'' Stirton, 1960 *** †''Kolponomos clallamensis'' Stirton, 1960 *** †''Kolponomos newportensis'' Tedford ''et al.'', 1994 ** †'' Pachycynodon'' Schlosser, 1888 *** †''Pachycynodon boriei'' (Filhol, 1876) *** †''Pachycynodon crassirostris'' Schlosser, 1888 *** †''Pachycynodon filholi'' Schlosser, 1888 *** †''Pachycynodon tenuis'' Teilhard de Chardin, 1915 ** †'' Wangictis'' de Bonis ''et al.'', 2019 *** †''Wangictis tedfordi'' (Wang & Qiu, 2003)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q11905313 Miocene carnivorans