Everything about Cynodictis totally explained
Cynodictis, or "in-between dog" is the name given to a number of dog-like animals known from the late
Eocene and early
Oligocene of
Europe (
France and
Germany), the late Eocene of Mongolia, and the Oligocene of
North America (about 20~40 million years ago). The type species of
Cynodictis,
C. lacustris, is a member of the
Amphicyonidae, but several
fossil species that originally made up the
genus have since been distributed among the genera
Cormocyon,
Cynarctoides,
Phlaocyon, and
Rhizocyon, all of which belong to the subfamily
Borophaginae of the family
Canidae.
Cynodictis are
carnivorans that descended from
Miacids, and are of the type that could be considered related descendants of a lineage that were ancestral progenitors of modern dogs, but their exact phylogenetic relationship is still not clear.
Cynodictis may have given rise to two other species branches, one in Africa and the other in Eurasia. The Eurasian branch has been called
Tomarctus.
Cynodictis had a long muzzle and a low-slung body. It had
carnassial scissor teeth for slicing chunks of meat off carcasses. It lived on the grassy plains of
North America, but researchers think it may have climbed trees in search of prey. It was about 30 cm in length - a small, carnivorous, dog-like mammal that could run very fast and dig efficiently. It used its speed to chase down
rabbits and small
rodents, but may also have been able to dig them out of their burrows.
Cynodictis lived on open, emi-arid plains that were crisscrossed by rivers.
Using its digging skills,
Cynodictis would make itself dens in steep riverbanks, which it would line with mouted fur and vegetation. In here the female
Cynodictis would give birth to a litter of around five pups, which she'd feed and protect for several months, suckling them at first, then later bringing them food. Unfortunately, the dens would sometimes be destroyed by
flash floods that killed all the animals inside, but preserved them as fossils.
Documentary
Cynodictis is featured in the first and third episodes of
Walking With Beasts. In the first episode, it's attacked and killed by an
Ambulocetus, in the third episode, one drives away a young
Indricotherium. It is shown living in a burrow.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cynodictis'.
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