''Plithocyon'' is an extinct genus of hemicyonine bear of 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" ...

epoch, endemic to North America and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

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

Fossil distribution

Sites and age of some specimens: *Hemicyon Quarry,

Barstow Formation The Barstow Formation is a series of limestones, conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones and shales exposed in the Mojave Desert near Barstow in San Bernardino County, California.Dibblee, T.W., Jr. (1967). Areal Geology of the Western Mojave ...

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,18 ...

~13.7—11.6 Ma. *Ruby River Basin No.5,

Madison County, Montana Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,623. Its county seat is Virginia City. The county was founded in 1865; at the time it was part of the Montana Territory. Geography According t ...

~23—5.3 Ma. *Pasalar site,

Bursa, Turkey ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in t ...

~16—13.7 Ma. *Pontigne site,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

~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