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''Daphoenodon'' is an extinct
''Daphoenodon'' is an extinct genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
carnivore
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...
, which lived in the early Miocene and belonged to the family Amphicyonidae
Amphicyonidae is an extinct Family (biology), family of Terrestrial animal, terrestrial carnivorans belonging to the suborder Caniformia. They first appeared in North America in the middle Eocene (around 45 mya), spread to Europe by the late Eoc ...
("bear dogs") of the suborder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Caniformia
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 gro ...
. The species of ''Daphoenodon'' are characterized by limbs that are specialized in fore and aft movement, as well as a body alignment that results in a lengthened stride. Hunt, R.M. (2009). "Long-Legged Pursuit Carnivorans (Amphicyonidae, Daphoeninae) from the Early Miocene of North America". ''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.'' 318: 1-95.
Species
''D.'' ''falkenbachi'' was a larger species that was found in northern Goshen, southeastern Platte Counties, Wyoming, and Nebraska. A smaller species, ''D. skinneri'', was found in southern Wyoming. In one large species, ''D. robustum'', the forelimb is elongated, making the adaptation for pursuing prey over open terrain very evident. The skeletal structure of ''D. robustum'' shows a predator that shares characteristics with highly evolved modern species—wolves and cheetahs—as well as large ambush wild cats (felids)—lions and tigers.References