Tapocyon is an extinct genus of Miacidae, a family of primitive 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. Tapocyon was first discovered in Ventura County, when part of a jaw was found in the 1930's. A representative fossil of Tapocyon robustus was found in Oceanside, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The animal was about the size of a coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

and is believed to have been a good climber that spent a lot of time in trees.

Sources

• findarticles.com
• www.helsinki.fi

Further reading

• Gittleman, J. A., ed. 1996. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publishing.
• Halls, Kelly M. 2005. Wild Dogs: Past & Present. Plain City, OH: Darby Creek Publishing.
• Academy of Sciences, National (U.S.) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
• The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America by Donald R. Prothero and Robert J. Emry; 1996 ISBN 0521433878