Cynodictis

Cynodictis, ("slender dog marten") is an extinct amphicyonid carnivoran which inhabited Eurasia from the Late Eocene subepoch to the Early Oligocene subepoch living from 37.2—28.4 million years ago, existing for approximately 8.8 million years .[1][2]

Cynodictis Temporal range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene ~37–29 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	†Cynodictis Bravard and Pomel, 1850
Species
C. cayluxensis C. crassus C. elegans C. exilis C. ferox C. lacustris C. longirostris C. parisiensis C. peignei

Anatomy

Cynodictis had a long muzzle and a low-slung body. It had carnassial teeth for slicing chunks of meat off carcasses. It was about 30 cm at the shoulder.

Fossil distribution

Fossil specimens have been found in the Lushi Formation of Mengjiapo, China, in Weisserburg, Germany and Les Saleres in the Ager Basin of Spain, the Bembridge Limestone and Bembridge Marls Formations of the Isle of Wight, Great Britain as well as the Perrière and Quercy Phosphorites Formations and La Débruge in France.

References

1. Paleobiology Database: Cynodictis, age range and collections
2. Egi, Naoko, Takehisa Tsubamoto, and Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar. "New amphicyonid (Mammalia: Carnivora) from the Upper Eocene Ergilin Dzo Formation, Mongolia." Paleontological research 13.3 (2009): 245-249.("...It is similar to Cynodictis, which is a primitive amphicyonid from the late Eocene to early Oligocene of Europe...")

Further reading

• Haines, Tim, and Paul Chambers. The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Pg. 176. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd., 2006