Cynelos is a large extinct genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of terrestrial

Terrestrial animal

Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...

 carnivore

Carnivore

A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...

s belonging to the suborder Caniformia

Caniformia

Caniformia, or Canoidea , is a suborder within the order Carnivora. They typically possess a long snout and non-retractile claws . The Pinnipedia evolved from caniform ancestors and are accordingly assigned to this group...

, family Amphicyonidae ("bear dog"), and which inhabited North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, and Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 from the Early Miocene

Early Miocene

The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....

 subepoch to the Late Miocene

Late Miocene

The Late Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch....

 subepoch 24.8—7.2 Mya, existing for approximately .

Dentition of this animal displayed only the characteristics of a carnivore

Carnivore

A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...

.

Taxonomy

Cynelos was named by Jourdan in 1862 as type European C. lemanensis (Europe). Its type is Amphicyon lemanensis. It was assigned to Amphicyoninae by Hunt (1998) and Sach and Heizmann (2001); and to Amphicyonidae by Jourdan (1862), Carroll (1988) and Morlo et al. (2007).

Body mass

A single specimen was examined by Legendre and Roth in 1988 for body mass. That specimen was estimated to weigh 84.4 kg (186.1 lb).

Fossil distribution

Bhagothoro, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

; West Turkana, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

; Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, Wadi Moghra, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

; Skull Spring, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

; Gilchrist County, Florida

Gilchrist County, Florida

Gilchrist County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 14,437. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 16,402. Gilchrist County has only one traffic light in the entire county and has no road with more than one lane of traffic...

 (Thomas Farm), Pollack Farm, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

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Species

C. caroniavorus (synonymous with Parictis bathygenus), C. euryodon, C. idoneus, C. lemanensis, C. macrodon, C. sinapius (synonymous with Amphicyon amnicola)

Sister genera

Amphicyon

Amphicyon

Amphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous bone-crushing mammals, known as bear-dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Aquitanian Epoch until the Tortonian...

, Ischyrocyon

Ischyrocyon

Ischyrocyon is an extinct genus of large, mostly carnivorous mammals known as bear dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, which inhabited North America during the Miocene living from ~16.3—10.3 Ma and existed for approximately .-Taxonomy:Ischyrocyon was named by Matthew and...

(synonymous with Hadrocyon), Pliocyon

Pliocyon

Pliocyon is a physically large member of the extinct family Amphicyonidae of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, and which inhabited North America from the Early Miocene subepoch to the Middle Miocene subepoch 20.6—13.6 Ma, existing for approximately .Pliocyon was named by...

, Pseudocyon

Pseudocyon

Pseudocyon, also known as Amphicyonopsis, is an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, family of Amphicyonidae and which inhabited Euroasia and North America from the Miocene epoch to the Late Miocene subepoch living 23.3—7.2 Mya...

(synonymous with Amphicyonopsis), Ysengrinia

Ysengrinia

Ysengrinia is an extinct genus of large, mostly carnivorous bone-crushing mammals known as bear dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae endemic to Europe, Africa, and North America during the Miocene living from 22.4—20 Ma and existed for approximately ....

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