Cerdocyon avius

Cerdocyon avius
Cerdocyon avius
Temporal range: Pleistocene
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Cerdocyon
Species: †C. avius
Binomial name
†Cerdocyon avius

Cerdocyon avius is an extinct species of omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, which inhabited North America during the Pliocene from 4.9 Ma to approximately 11,000 years ago.[1] It is similar to the modern Crab-eating Fox.

Taxonomy

Cerdocyon was named by Hamilton-Smith (1839). It was assigned to Canidae by Hamilton-Smith (1839) and Carroll (1988).[2]

C. avius was about 80 cm (2 ft 8 in) long and probably had habits similar to those of its extant relative. It was found in Baja California and Venezuela.

References

  1. ^ Paleobiology Database: Cerdocyon Basic info.
  2. ^ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company
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