Knowra Amphicyon Amphicyon Amphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous mammals in the family Amphicyonidae. Its species lived in Eurasia and North America, especially during the Miocene, and are commonly called bear-dogs.
Amphicyonidae : An extinct family of carnivorous mammals known as bear-dogs, distinct from both bears and dogs. Amphicyon is a prominent genus within this family.
Amphicyon major : A large European species of Amphicyon known from Miocene fossil deposits. It is one of the best-known species used to characterize the genus.
John Edward Gray : A British zoologist who named and described many animal taxa during the nineteenth century. Gray established the genus Amphicyon in 1862.
Ursidae : The mammalian family comprising living bears and their extinct relatives. Despite its common name, Amphicyon was not a member of the bear family.
Carnivora : The mammalian order that includes cats, dogs, bears, seals, and their extinct relatives. Amphicyonidae belongs to this order, though bear-dogs are not true bears or dogs.
Amphicyon giganteus : A very large species of bear-dog known from Miocene fossils in Europe. Its remains illustrate the exceptional size reached by some Amphicyon species.
Great American Biotic Interchange : The exchange of animals between North and South America after formation of the Isthmus of Panama. It provides later context for the changing distribution of carnivoran lineages, though Amphicyon itself was earlier.
Canidae : The mammalian family comprising dogs, wolves, foxes, and their extinct relatives. Bear-dogs were not true canids, despite some dog-like features.
Caniformia : A major branch of Carnivora that includes dogs, bears, mustelids, pinnipeds, and related extinct groups. Bear-dogs are generally placed among caniform carnivorans.
Amphicyon ingens : A large North American bear-dog species from the Miocene. It shows that the genus's fossil record extended beyond Eurasia.
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