''Parictis'' is an extinct arctoid, possibly the earliest genus of

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the 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 throughout the N ...

s known, though a recent variety of morphological evidence links amphicynodontines with

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 walrus) ...

. It was a very small and graceful arctoid with a skull only 7 cm long. ''Parictis'' first appeared in North America in the Late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

(around 38 million years ago), but it did not arrive in Eurasia until the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

. Some suggest that ''Parictis'' may have emigrated from Asia into North America during the major sea level low about 37 mya, because of the continued evolution of the

Amphicynodontinae Amphicynodontidae is a probable clade of extinct arctoids. While some researchers consider this group to be an extinct subfamily of bears, a variety of morphological evidence links amphicynodontines with pinnipeds, as the group were semi-aquati ...

into the

Hemicyoninae Hemicyoninae is an extinct subfamily of Ursidae, often called dog bears (literally "half dog" (Greek: )). They were bear-like carnivorans living in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia during the Oligocene through Miocene epochs 33.9–5.3&nb ...

in Asia. Although no ''Parictis'' fossils have been found in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

, ''Parictis'' does appear in Eurasia and Africa, but not until the Miocene.

Species

* ''P. dakotensis'' Clark 1936 37 Million years old * ''P. gilpini'' Clark & Guensburg 1972 35 Million years old * ''P. major'' Clark & Guensburg 1972 * ''P. montanus'' Clark & Guensburg 1972 36 Million years old * ''P. parvus'' Clark & Beerbower, 1967 38 Million years old * ''P. personi'' Chaffee 1954 33 Million years old * ''P. primaevus'', Scott 1893 Although Hall (1931) thought to reassign this species to the

Canidae Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a family (biology), biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamily, ...

, Hunt (1998) clearly places it within the

Ursidae Bears are carnivoran mammals of the 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 throughout the Nor ...

, under ''Parictis''.

Formerly classed under ''Parictis''

* ''P. bathygenus'' White 1947 is no longer considered a species of ''Parictis'', having been reassigned to the genus '' Cynelos'', in the Amphicyonidae ("bear dog") family.

References

Miocene bears Eocene bears Oligocene bears Miocene genus extinctions Transitional fossils Eocene carnivorans Eocene mammals of North America Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub