''Protursus'' is a fossil genus of ailurid with a single species ''Protursus simpsoni'', known from a single left m2 tooth.

Taxonomy & Evolution

''Protursus simpsoni'' was believed to be an ursid (bear) closely related to ''

Ursavus ''Ursavus'' is an extinct genus of bear that existed in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Miocene period, about 23–5.3 million years ago (Mya), existing for roughly . The genus apparently dispersed from Asia into North America abo ...

'' by its original describers. In 1977, Thenius lumped the species into the genus ''

Simocyon ''Simocyon'' ("short-snouted dog") is a genus of extinct carnivoran mammal in the family Ailuridae. ''Simocyon'', which was about the size of a mountain lion, lived in the late Miocene and early Pliocene epochs, and has been found in Europe, Asi ...

'' as ''Simocyon simpsoni'', but this was rejected in 2005, instead being split back into ''Protursus'', though as a member of the subfamily

Simocyoninae Simocyoninae is an extinct subfamily of Ailuridae (of which the only recent member is the red panda). The taxonomic history of this group was complicated, as researchers placed various fossil caniform genera into the subfamily. In addition to ''S ...

Description

''Protursus simpsoni'' is known from only a single specimen, a left m2 found at the Late

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 ...

Can Llobateras site in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

References

Miocene carnivorans Monotypic prehistoric carnivoran genera Ailuridae Fossil taxa described in 1976 {{paleo-carnivora-stub