''Plithocyon'' is an extinct genus of hemicyonine bear of the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

epoch, endemic to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. It lived from ~15.97—11.61 Ma, existing for approximately .

Fossil distribution

Sites and age of some specimens: *Hemicyon Quarry, Barstow Formation,

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is locat ...

~13.7—11.6 Ma. *Ruby River Basin No.5, Madison County, Montana ~23—5.3 Ma. *Pasalar site, Bursa, Turkey ~16—13.7 Ma. *Pontigne site,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

~11.6—7.2 Ma.

Species

*''Plithocyon antunesi'' Ginsburg & Morales, 1998 *''Plithocyon armagnacensis'' Ginsburg, 1955 *''Plithocyon barstowensis'' Frick, 1926 *''Plithocyon bruneti'' Ginsburg, 1980 *''Plithocyon conquense'' Ginsberg *''Plithocyon ursinus'' Cope, 1875

References

*Ginsburg, L. & Morales, J. 1998. Les Hemicyoninae (Ursidae, Carnivora, Mammalia) et les formes apparentées du Miocène inférieur et moyen d'Europe occidentale. Ann. Paléontol. 84 (1): 71–123. Hemicyonids Miocene carnivorans Tortonian extinctions Miocene mammals of North America Langhian first appearances Fossil taxa described in 1955 Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub