Phlaocyon

Taxobox
name = "Phlaocyon"
fossil_range = early Oligocene to early Miocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Canidae
subfamilia = †Borophaginae
genus = †"Phlaocyon"
genus_authority = Matthew, 1899
type_species = †"Phlaocyon leucosteus"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* †"P. leucosteus"
* †"P. achoros"
* †"P. annectens"
* †"P. latidens"
* †"P. mariae"
* †"P. marslandensis"
* †"P. minor"
* †"P. multicuspus"
* †"P. taylori"
* †"P. yatkolai"
synonyms =
* "Aletocyon" Romer and Sutton, 1927
* "Bassariscops" Peterson, 1924

"Phlaocyon" ("crushing dog") is an extinct genus of canid.

The 80 cm (2 ft 8 in) long creature looked more like a cat or raccoon than a dog, but its skull anatomy has proven it to be a primitive canine. "Phlaocyon" probably lived like a raccoon, often climbing trees. Its head was short, wide and had forward-facing eyes. Unlike modern canines, "Phlaocyon" had no teeth that it could cut flesh with. It is thought to have been an omnivore. [cite book |editor=Palmer, D.|year=1999 |title= The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals|publisher= Marshall Editions|location=London|pages= 312|isbn= 1-84028-152-9]

References