Drassonax is an extinct genus of small, weasel-like bear dog

Bear dog

Amphicyonidae is an extinct family of large terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia and which inhabited North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa from the Middle Eocene subepoch to the Pleistocene epoch 46.2—1.8 Mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:Amphicyonidae was named...

s, of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Amphicyonidae endemic to 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...

 during the Oligocene

Oligocene

The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...

 living from 33.9—33.3 Ma and existed for approximately .

Taxonomy

Drassonax was named by Galbreath (1953). Its type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 is Drassonax harpagops. It was assigned to Amphicyonidae by Galbreath (1953) and Baskin and Tedford (1996); and to Phocoidea by McKenna and Bell (1997).

Morphology

A single specimen was examined by Legendre and Roth for body mass and was estimated to weigh 1.42 kg (3.1 lb).