Tomarctus

Taxobox
name = "Tomarctus"
fossil_range = early to middle Miocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Canidae
subfamilia = †Borophaginae
genus = †"Tomarctus"
genus_authority = Cope, 1873
type_species = †"Tomarctus brevirostris"
subdivision_ranks = Species [cite journal| last = Wang| first = Xiaoming| coauthors = Richard Tedford, Beryl Taylor| title = Phylogenetic systematics of the Borophaginae| journal = Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History| volume = 243| date = 1999-11-17| url = http://www.nhm.org/expeditions/rrc/wang/documents/Wangetal1999borophaginemonographpart1.pdf| accessdate = 2007-07-08 ]
subdivision =
* †"T. brevirostris"
* †"T. hippophaga "

"Tomarctus" ("cutting bear") is an extinct genus of canine which inhabited most of North America during the Early Miocene to Middle Miocene 23 Mya to 16 Mya.

"Tomarctus" is derived from the "Nothocyon" and gave rise to "Borophaginae", a short-face, heavy-jawed canine usually massive in size. "Tomarctus" shared its period of time with a variety of bear dogs like the giant mustelid genus of bone-crushing canidae. As the bear dogs and giant mustelids became extinct, "Tomarctus" further radiated to fill a line of dogs which filled the fruit eating and bone-crushing hyena-like, large bone-crushing niches.

Species within "Tomarctus" are "T. brevirostris" (synomymous "Aelurodon francisi", "Aelurodon simulans"), "T. hippophaga".

References

*Martin, L.D. 1989. Fossil history of the terrestrial carnivora. Pages 536 - 568 in J.L. Gittleman, editor. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, Vol. 1. Comstock Publishing Associates: Ithaca.
*Tedford, R.H. 1978. History of dogs and cats: A view from the fossil record. Pages 1 - 10 in Nutrition and Management of Dogs and Cats. Ralston Purina Co.: St. Louis.
* [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=41246&is_real_user=1 - Bio One Data Base - Tomarctus]